


Your Future Will Be

by TinselPyre



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: 3b, F/F, Fake Marriage, New York City, Relationship Counseling, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2018-12-04 04:33:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 67,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11547570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinselPyre/pseuds/TinselPyre
Summary: AU version of 3b where Regina joins Henry and Emma in New York believing that they are a disconnected married couple on the verge of divorce. A story of how they fall "back" in love amidst counseling, puberty, and unbeknownst to them a looming threat in the Enchanted Forest.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Once Upon a Time nor have I ever. Just to be safe this is listed as a Mature fic involving two women so if you are underage or have a problem with this please enjoy another story.

        Regina Mills' eyes fluttered open taking in her surroundings as she slowly crept into consciousness. A ceiling fan circling directly above her, a framed school photo of her son, Henry, to her right, and to her left a still slumbering wife. The brunette woman glanced at the clock that had yet to go off, 8:03 am Monday May 6th. It was Monday, she repeated to herself, Monday May 6th, the Monday May the 6th she had anxiously waited for the entire weekend and was now dreading the arrival of. She took one last look at the blonde lying next to her before quickly getting out of bed to begin the day and wanting nothing more than to avoid it all together. 

She made her way to the kitchen deciding on eggs and toast for breakfast while starting on Henry's daily cup of hot cocoa and pouring a black coffee for herself. The toast popped and just as Regina was plating the egg scramble the aforementioned youth came shuffling into the kitchen and seated himself at the counter. 

"Good morning sweetheart" _,_ she said quickly kissing him on the crown of his head knowing that the age at which he would no longer accept physical forms of affection from her was quickly approaching.

"G' Morning......Uh mom you forgot something." Gesturing towards his mug.

"Oh. Cinnamon. Right."

"Thank you," he said taking a tentative sip before smiling.

They ate in relative silence when finally Henry asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Of course," she said plastering on a fake smile. "Why do you ask?"

"Its just that you've seemed kind of distracted the last few days, not to mention in my entire life you have never once forgotten the cinnamon. Are you thinking about Walsh?"

Henry was referring to the man that Regina was contemplating hiring as a personal carpenter for her interior decorating business. She had been impressed with his craftsmanship and attention to detail while browsing in his shop for a client the prior month.

She smiled at him more sincerely, "Yes. Walsh. I am thinking about Walsh. Can you fault me for taking a few days to make a decision this important? I want to be sure that his work ethic is something that I can be associated with, appearance is everything in this business."

"Mom, your end table was finished two weeks early. I think he is the type of person you can trust for excellent customer service."

She truly smiled at him this time until she noticed the clock and quickly finished the last bite before placing the dish in the washer.

"I have to start getting ready or I'll be late and so will you so I want you dressed and your teeth brushed in the next 15 minutes mister," she called out while making her way towards the shower where, unfortunately, thoughts of the day to come returned.

       While Regina and Henry were eating their breakfast, Emma Swan was awoken by a demonic box screaming at her as it evilly shined the numbers 8:15 across its face. She groaned reaching out for the snooze button finally succeeding on the third attempt noting that she was now alone in bed and took the opportunity to spread out in the middle so that she could thoroughly enjoy those extra nine minutes of sleep. When the next alarm blared alerting her that it was indeed time to wake up she did so albeit reluctantly and slightly annoyed that Regina had, once again, beaten the alarm. She glanced at the date. _Monday?_ She was supposed to remember something about today, but what? She wracked her brain for the answer as she made her way towards the master bath: PTA was on Thursday, Henry's field trip was not until next week, and Game of Thrones was yesterday. The answer finally came to her as she grabbed a washcloth and entered the shower behind her wife. The passion that used to result from a shower for two had long since been replaced as a convenient way to save time and money.

       They had moved here six months ago after a fire had claimed their apartment in Boston and deciding that neither Emma nor Regina's job would suffer from the change in scenery they packed up their belongings and headed south to New York City. They had found an apartment in SoHo that suited their needs perfectly not to mention Henry was flourishing in his new school; however, something about this new life they were leading in New York felt off and with every day it seemed she and the older woman grew further and further apart from each other. So last week after a particularly bitter disagreement that lead to Emma spending two whole nights on a _stakeout_ , or so she had told Henry, they resolved to salvage what was left of their once happy relationship and today would be their first meeting with a marriage counselor. 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT. This is a mature story involving two women if you are underage or have a problem with this please enjoy another story. Some parts follow episode 3x11 Going Home.

**Six Months Earlier**

      "Emma, there is something you need to know. When I send us back it will essentially reverse the clock and Storybrooke will no longer exist, it won't ever have existed. So when you cross the town line everything you have experienced these last years..... they'll be gone."

"So you.... my parents....everyone?"

"We'll go back to being fairytales."

"What will happen to us?"

"I don't know."

"That doesn't sound much like a happy ending," quipped Emma.

"It's not," laughed Regina humorlessly. "But I can give you one. I can do what I did to everyone else in this town and give you new memories, your past might not be real but your future will be."

"You cursed them and they were miserable."

"But it didn't have to be that way. When I first cast the dark curse I didn't write out a unique scenario of vengeance for each townsperson I simply willed their lives to be unfulfilled. The 28 years of misery came when I chose to run Storybrooke the way I ran our kingdom, she said as tears of regret began to fill her eyes."

       "It's all my fault, if I had never gone to get Emma and just stayed here and lived under the curse with you none of this would have happened, Henry stated remorsefully as Pan's own curse swept across Storybrooke laying waste to all in its path."

"Henry, no, it wasn't your fault it was mine. I cast a curse out of vengeance because I'm...I'm a villain. It was the first time she had ever said it out loud, and you heard Mr.Gold villains don't get happy endings. It doesn't matter whether you brought Emma here or not she was always destined to break the curse, she is the savior a true hero. She is also a Charming, just like you, and if there is one thing you can count on in life it is that the Charmings will always find each other."

"You're not a villain you're my mom _,"_ he said with conviction in his voice and leaning in for a hug.

The amount of times Henry had willingly hugged her in recent years had been few and far between so Regina did her best to make the moment last as long as possible knowing that it would be the last time she ever felt the boys arms around her. 

When suddenly he shouted, "THE CURSE!"

Momentarily shocked by his own outburst he quickly explained, "the dark curse it brought you here but you were never bound by its magic like everyone else. Besides Emma, Mr. Gold and me you are the only one who has safely crossed the town line out of Storybrooke. You don't have to go back to The Enchanted Forest you could come with us."

"Henry...It's not that simple."

"Why not?! You called yourself a villain, well in a land with out magic there is no such thing as villains you could have a fresh start  _we_ could have a fresh start just like you wanted."

While Henry's words to his mother were technically true in a traditional sense they were shrouded in childhood fancy and Emma did not have the heart nor the time to explain to him the realities of a world with out magic.

Regina smiled sadly, "I can't. In order for the spell to work I have to give up the thing I love most. I just want you to know that I will cherish our time together for the rest of my life and not a single memory of past love ever compared to what I felt the moment you were placed in my arms."

Henry reached out desperately for Emma and as she held him tightly the revelation hit her like a bullet.

_Memory._

If Henry wanted his mother with him then goddamn it she was going to make it happen.

"Regina! It's your memories."

"What are you talking about Swan?" She asked wiping tears from her eyes in defeat.

"You don't have to give up Henry just the memories of your old life with him. You said it yourself  once we cross the town line that life will be gone and The Evil Queen will have never existed, she'll go back to being a story and Regina can live on. With Henry."

The brunette searched the eyes of her former rival confused by the blonde's willingness to chance everything on a theory.

"What if it doesn't work?"

"I believe in you Regina, you've got this." Tearing her eyes away from the brunette she ushered their son towards the yellow bug. 

The curse was only a few yards away now and Regina watched broken heartedly as the car slowly disappeared past the town line. She looked down at the small scroll in her hand and made her decision.

       The cloud of purple smoke was moving quickly encasing the entirety of The Enchanted Forest, Phillip and Aurora frantically raced from the ominous looking mass and just when they thought they had met their end...nothing. Peeking out from the cover of her husband's arms she was awe struck by the sight that greeted her.

"Snow...What happened?"

"We're back."

       Emma had pulled over to the side of the road inspecting her position on GoogleMaps confused by whatever wrong turn had landed them in Maine. She glanced at her son seemingly oblivious to the confusion when a dark figure opened the passenger side door.

"Better?"

"Much, but I still would have preferred a proper rest stop," she said pulling a small bottle of Purell from her purse.

"A few moments in the forest won't kill you _,"_ she smiled at her wife putting the car into drive and making her way back onto the interstate.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

       The dual shower did not last long. When Regina noticed Emma joining her she finished as quickly as possible and exited the blonde doing the same not five minutes later. While blow drying her hair Regina took the opportunity to discretely peruse the blonde toweling off. Emma was still beautiful and looking at her now she still felt a slight stirring in her lower abdomen but it was no longer accompanied with the grip on her heart that had once been there. It terrified her to think so much could have changed in such a short period of time. 

       Emma made her way past Regina, unaware of the older woman's glances, and headed towards their closet. while picking out a pair of dark blue jeans and a white tank top she noticed, as if for the first time, how peculiar the fitted Armani suits looked next to her off the rack outfits and cheap leather. She fingered a silk blouse the material was soft and inhaled deeply it smelled like apples, like Regina. Emma thought of the way these outfits looked on her wife they fit her style, not to mention her body, perfectly, but then she thought of the way her wife looked when placed next to her. Did they fit? A less tolerant person would say no for the obvious reason but Regina was beautiful and while Emma knew that she didn't do to bad in that department she also knew that she did not possess the certain refinement that the older woman did. The blonde was eventually pulled from her thoughts when she heard the hair dryer turn off so she quickly put on her boots and aimed for the kitchen.

"Morning Kid, do you need a ride today?" She asked her son as he watered the plants near the window.

He smiled at her but declined the offer grabbing his bag and heading towards the door.

"Don't forget your mom and I are both working late tonight so Mrs.Cuse will be here around 4:30, okay?"

_Got it._

"Do you have your keys?"

"Yes," he replied anxious to leave.

 _"_ Alright, love you kid. Have a good day."

"Love you too. BYE MOM!" He called out to Regina.

        As Henry closed the door behind him he got the nagging feeling that his mothers were lying to him. His ma could always tell when people were lying, she called it her super power, which doesn't help when your a six year old trying to explain how a window having been left open caused a total of seven pure white pigeons  to fly in and eat an entire box of chocolate chip cookies. He may not have her powers but he knew something was wrong despite their best efforts to convince him with tales of late night clients and bail jumpers.

       Regina watched Henry from her bedroom window and once he was out of sight she returned to the kitchen noticing that Emma was eating a bowl of cereal.

"I made scrambled eggs," she said flippantly.

Surprised that she was finally being acknowledged after twenty minutes and annoyed by the brunette's tone she replied, "Scrambled egg whites. I prefer the Fruit Loops."

"You eat like a child. The whites are healthier for you."

"Someone wasn't complaining last week when we all went out for root beer floats," she said under her breath.

       Ignoring the younger woman's comment Regina gathered the last of her things for the day. Stopping the moment her foot made contact with the carpeted hallway she turned around the tension leaving her body quickly being replaced by defeat and fatigue.

"Emma, please be on time tonight."

Finally giving the woman her full attention she looked into the brunettes eyes.

"6:15 on Second and Main. I'll be there," she replied giving a sad but reassuring smile one that was mirrored by Regina before she closed the door behind her.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Once Upon a Time.

       Regina Mills sat in the waiting room of Dr. Horatio Vogelsang flipping through a architectural magazine from February and anxiously checking her watch every two minutes. When finally she took a breath of relief for at six o'clock sharp Emma waltzed in taking a seat next to her wife but offering no other pleasantry than a simple "hello." As soon as she made herself comfortable the secretary brought over a questionnaire, seeing that Regina had already finished filling one out as well she quickly started. They were fairly standard questions  **What has brought you here? What do you expect to get out of counseling? What are some insecurities you have about your relationship?** and others of the sort. 

       As she made her way through the paper checking off boxes and elaborating more on said boxes the pen gave out. Sighing in frustration she began vigorously scribbling but was unable to gain access to anymore ink. Noticing the other woman's efforts Regina began fishing through her purse for another pen.

"Here," Regina said holding out a blue ballpoint .

Looking up for the first time in nearly ten minutes, "thanks," she smiled. A smile that quickly fell from her face when Emma realized that Regina was no longer wearing her wedding ring, it was gold with a light blue stone and it had taken the blonde weeks to pick out.

"Have you been waiting long?" She asked quietly clearing her throat doing her best to hide her chagrin.

Before the older woman got the chance to answer, the door opened revealing who could only be Doctor Vogelsang, a short man in his late forties with salt and pepper hair.

"Swan Mills."

"That's us," she said to herself more than to anyone else quickly filling out the last question before rising from her seat. 

They both declined the offer of water and while the doctor started with introductions Emma took the chance to look around his office. There were various certificates and degrees on the walls, a few awards, and what appeared to be an odd mixture of Hispanic and German knick knacks. A beer stein in particular caught her attention, it was dark blue with a silver handle as well as an expertly carved scene of two children, a boy and a girl, handing a bright red apple over to a finely dressed dark haired woman. She craned her neck attempting to view the entire scene but was pulled from her inspection at the sound of her name being spoken.

"Emma Regina let's talk about some of the reasons you decided to seek counseling. I see that you both have the same general time frame for when your concerns about the relationship began so why don't we start with that."

       "Well," Regina began, "if anyone had asked me this time last year if I were happy with my life I would have said yes without hesitation but now. She paused in order to choose her words precisely. I wouldn't say unhappy exactly but it's like I've lost something that I want back, desperately, but I'm not completely positive of what that is which makes the situation all the more frustrating." She was going to say that the situation was frightening but in an effort to not appear weak in front of Emma had changed her wording at the last moment.

"Alright good. Now Emma."

"The move to New York was difficult on us." She stated with no more explanation; however, the doctor did not seem fazed at the blonde's curtness. 

"Moving can be one of the most stressful times in one's life. The tricky thing about stress is that it is a vital part of life, it encourages us to strive for our best and it shows us what is important in our lives but the problem is when we lose control and stress becomes di-stress.* "

Regina quirked an eyebrow in annoyance at the man's accentuation of the word causing Emma to smirk ever so slightly.

"Now why don't we discuss some tactics on gaining control of distress." 

        After dinner, Henry's friends Avery and Mason had come over and they were currently playing basketball in the courtyard of his apartment.

"Maybe they're getting divorced ," said Mason. "After my dad started "working late" my parents got divorced, now I get to call his secretary Angela." 

"Is there such thing as gay divorce?" Asked Avery shooting the ball.

Henry had heard of a lesbian couple in Colorado attempting to get divorced but so far nothing in New York, at least not that he knew of.

"Hey, maybe your moms will be the first and you'll get to be on the news." 

"Don't be stupid," the blonde boy said. "Whenever there is news involving the parents they always blur the kids face or exclude their names for privacy reasons." 

The nonchalance of the other boys' discussion of Henry's possibly crumbling family disturbed him, not that he was willing to let them see how their words affected him of course.

"Well how am I supposed to know ?"

"Like I said before staying out late, not talking as much, private phone calls stuff like that." 

Henry thought for a moment his mothers usually did not take phone calls in front of him so there was no clue there; but, for as long as he could remember they had always been a close couple and now it seemed like the only time they spoke to one another, at least cordially, it was about him. Unfortunately he did not get the chance to press further for information on what the signs of divorce were when the conversation quickly moved to Andrea Tenor from third period English and before he knew it the streetlights were due to come on and the boys parted ways, leaving Henry heavy hearted and heavy minded. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * "11 Ways Stress Affects Survival" by DNews July 19, 2011.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Once upon a Time

       Emma and Regina had left the counselor's office and immediately headed for a bar down the street. While drinking was probably not the best course of action in their current situation they both needed the distracting burn of alcohol, at least for this particular night.

Finding a secluded booth in the corner of the small establishment they pulled out the instructional sheet that Dr. Vogelsang had given them in preparation for their next session.

"What can I get you ladies?" The waitress asked

Emma ordered as she attempted to hide the paper from possible prying eyes.

"Whiskey sour, MacCutcheon if you have it." 

"Dry vodka martini." 

Pulling back out the sheet they both read the bold black letters that stared back at them almost mockingly. **TASK.** Dr. Vogelsang had ended the session by emphasizing the importance of TASKing when feeling a loss of control when faced with a situation or confrontation.

T: Talk. When first feeling overwhelmed by a situation with your partner calmly discuss the problem at hand and your feelings toward it.

A: Accept. Acceptance of your partner's viewpoints do not challenge them or attempt to discredit.

S: Sympathy. Sympathize with your partner's feelings.

K: Knowledge. Knowing your partner's thoughts and feelings will allow you to gain control of the situation and find a resolution.

"Isn't sympathy kind of the same thing as acceptance?"

Regina rolled her eyes at the comment she was not particularly in the mood for one of Emma's sarcastic comments. "I don't think so, sympathy is understanding where as acceptance is simply tolerance." 

The blonde apparently took the hint and shut her mouth.

"It's getting late. We should be leaving soon," she said tossing back the last of her drink.

Emma followed suit and while not drunk her drinks had been stronger than usual so she opted to hail them a taxi for safety's sake.

Sitting in silence Emma thought back to the day's session. The moment she had walked into the office her walls immediately went up not yet willing to discuss the intricacies of her and her wife's relationship with a complete stranger. Walls that she decided would need to be quickly knocked down when she saw the bill of 150 dollars for one hour's time.  She glanced at Regina who was staring out the window watching the lights go by seemingly just as preoccupied as she. The tension on the brunette's face was evident and in a last ditch effort to relieve some of the tension she knew she was partly responsible for Emma reached out and clasped their hands together. Regina's hand was smooth and cool to the touch but the action felt odd and unfamiliar leaving both women despondent.

             The cuckoo clock had just called out nine times when his mothers entered the apartment, the brunette proclaimed she was going to bed meanwhile the blonde made a beeline for her son who was sitting on the couch already in pajamas and playing on his xbox.

"Hey, Mrs. Cuse said you were quiet tonight? "

"Not quiet just concentrating," he lied. Diablo just became the Prime Evil.

Oooh, she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Do you mind if a fifth level wizard joins you? "

"Against the Prime Evil, good luck."

"More experience points than your mom's witch doctor," she smirked at him.

He smiled back at her before returning his gaze to the television.

She paid little attention to what she was doing in the game before completely turning her focus once again to her son.

Feeling his mother brushing his hair from his face he paused the game and turned to her.

"You know that your mom and I could not be more proud of you right? And no matter what we will always love you." 

Red flag number one thought Henry.

"I know." 

She smiled down at him kissing his forehead before getting up from the couch. "Bed time in an hour okay?"

"Kay. Night Ma." 

"Good night Henry. Sweet dreams." 

       Regina lied motionless in bed focusing on the feel of the soft Egyptian cotton underneath her and pondering what the doctor had said. Six months was apparently the earliest he had ever encountered a couple seeking a counselor explaining that most people wait six or seven years before acknowledging their problems. She was unsure if it had been intended as a positive or a negative comment but it had made her self conscious just the same. One question in particular would not leave her mind.

_"Are you attempting to save the marriage or just ensure a more agreeable termination?"_

_Termination._ The word sounded so vulgar to her. She wondered how anyone could ever reach what could be called an "agreeable termination," it would be the destruction of all she had known for the past nine years not to mention the uprooting of Henry's entire life. She thought back to the doctor's words on how synchronicity was one of the cornerstones to any successful relationship, in recent months she and Emma hardly seemed to be on the same story let alone the same page. Thankfully though, aside from the occasional squabble concerning his dietary habits and things of a similar nature, Henry seemed to be the one thing they remained truly "agreeable" on. Emma was a good mother and no matter what happened between them she knew that the blonde would never be completely absent from her life. The younger woman's own childhood situation ensured her that she would never abandon their son; although, even if she had grown up in a model family with perfect 2.4 children Regina would still be confident that Emma would never just walk out on him.

Whenever she was feeling wired the brunette had a habit of twirling her ring about her finger and though she could not remember when she had ceased wearing it she knew exactly where it resided. Opening the side table drawer she pulled out the gold band that had once adorned her left hand and slipped it on before bringing the stone to her lips. Memories of their wedding flooded her mind, it had been a small affair taking place in a Massachusetts courthouse four years ago. Henry had looked so adorable in his little suit and tie, hair gelled and combed back hiding a tiny cowlick, and shoes expertly shined just before the ceremony. Regina remembered the happiness she had felt that day, as well as that night, but now it all seemed like a distant dream. She continued to reminisce until she noticed the other woman in the doorway and quickly reached under her pillow in an effort to hide her adorned finger from her wife. Hoping to not be discovered she would just have to wait until the blonde fell asleep before returning it to her drawer.

Emma walked into the bedroom she shared with Regina who was attempting to adjust a pillow. It was unseasonably humid so Emma settled in with just her tank top and panties as opposed to Regina's silk night dress.

"Did you set the alarm?" she asked the brunette

"8:15," she replied turning off the bed side lamp.

They both turned in bed so as to not face one another and with at least a foot separating the two of them.

"Good night, Regina." 

"Good night, Emma." 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Once Upon a Time. Allusions to the episodes 3x12 New York City Serenade and 3x13 Witch Hunt.

**Six Months Earlier The Enchanted Forest**

       For several hours Snow and Charming trekked their way through thick mud and forest towards the Queen's castle, it was odd, she spent the majority of her life in that palace and yet she could not yet bring herself to call it "her" castle. Hook had left their party in search of the Jolly Roger expressing how "it's a pirate's life for me" or something or another but she could not be fooled. Snow knew the look in his eyes, for it was a look she knew all too well, the look of heartache. The black haired woman's own chest ached at the loss of her child and grandchild, if there were ever a time that she needed Regina to rip out her heart it would be now. However, she knew the pain of separation she felt would only truly lessen over time through proper mourning and not magic. David, equally distraught, pulled his wife close preoccupying his thoughts on ways to be supportive of Snow rather than the loss of his family.

"Aright Everyone," he called out. "Take a break we move out again in ten minutes." 

David and Snow moved to a more secluded spot deeper in the woods away from curious eyes.

"It's going to be alright," he said pulling her in close her head resting above his heart..

"No David, it's not going to be alright. We just said goodbye to our daughter again and I am trying to appear like a capable leader so that I can get these people back to living their lives, but I am barely hanging on."

"I know, I miss them too but we have to stay strong not just for us but for the good of our people if they see us fall apart...there is no telling what could happen." 

Despite his words being true if he had been completely honest with her he feared she would never forgive him. The simple truth was that it infuriated him that Regina, after everything she had done to their family the countless innocent lives she had destroyed, just gets to ride off into the sunset with his grandson. That she, of all people, gets to watch "her" child grow up and be a part of his life while he and Snow had barely shared a year with their own. 

"You know what Regina said, even if there was a way to get to them they wouldn't even remember us. We just have to keep hope and know that we gave them their best chance." 

"I know you're right, I just wish there was a way we could really know that they are alright," she said looking into his eyes

He brought his lips down to hers pouring all his faith and trust into that single gesture of love.

The moment was interrupted when Snow abruptly pulled away.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? "

"I think there is something over in those bushes?" She said slowly approaching them .

Wait? David called out placing himself in front of her and inspecting the shrubs for himself.

He unsheathed his sword taking careful quiet steps before letting loose a powerful battle yell and down swinging his blade....nothing.

"There is nothing here," he said relaxing. "Unless it flew away?"

"It did!"

A large grey beast shot from the sky swooping down at them screeching an otherworldly sound.

"Get back!"  He screamed at her, swinging his sword at the creature as it repeatedly lunged at him. David blocked a strike which unfortunately left his side completely exposed giving the grey demon ample opportunity to take hold of the man in a vice like grip. Snow frantically reached for her bow and an arrow as the beast rocketed into the sky with David in its clutches its claws deeply penetrating his forearm. She pulled back the quiver and sent an arrow soaring through the air landing the projectile square in the creature's neck. It screeched in pain and clutched its neck causing it to release her husband dropping him to the ground with a resounding thud.

Snow ran to David's side as the creature unsteadily flew off whimpering in pain .

"What was that!?" She asked as she inspected the man's injured arm.

"It looked like...like a monkey." 

"A monkey with wings? You mean like a Judy Garland follow the yellow brick road monkey with wings?" Confusion and disbelief evident in her eyes.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean." He answered looking to the sky for any signs of the simian.

"Okay, so flying monkeys and the land of Oz are all real, good to know. Which leads us to the more paramount question of what is a creature from Oz doing in The Enchanted Forest?" 

"I don't know . Come on though, let's get back to the group before that thing decides to return." 

       Back at the Queen's castle the green skinned witch of Oz gazed lovingly at herself in one of the numerous mirrors that adorned the spacious room very much enjoying the way she looked in her baby sister's fine silk dress. She would have to remember to keep the royal seamstress alive after she dealt with Regina and her band of Charming royals. It was all coming together so perfectly, the residents of the aptly named Storybrooke had been first spotted near Sherwood Forest and then reports of people popping up all over started to come in. Zelena knew it was only a matter of time before the Evil Queen would return to her home and when she did the redhead would finally have her revenge. Soon Regina, Cora, Rumplestiltskin, and the entire world would know her power, her worth, and that they had chosen the wrong daughter to put their faith in.

She heard the screeching of her minion as he swooped into the room excitedly meeting him at the window

Screeeeeech!

"I know I look lovely. Come on, let's see it. She said ignoring the blood seeping from the creature's body." 

Screeeeeech!

"What do you mean you didn't get it?! 

Screeeeeech!

"So you're telling me that after all these years of planning I finally find a way to cross into this world to enact my vengeance upon my sister AND SHE IS NOT EVEN HERE! "

The animal lowered its head in submission fearful of the witch's wrath.

"She got everything, this was supposed to be my big moment and now it is completely ruined. I mean really, what is the point of taking everything Regina has if she is not even around to see it?" The redhead whined.

"No, she huffed. She can't do this I won't let her get away with it."

"YOU," she thrust a finely manicured finger towards the beast. "GET OUT! GET OUT AND FIND MY SISTER !"

The dutiful creature gave a final screech before it raced out the window to parts unknown.

"Well played Regina , she said once again admiring her reflection in the mirror, "but soon enough you will learn that while evil may be powerful it's the wicked ones who win." 

****

**New York City**

       Cursed and oblivious to any trouble Regina Mills turned the key to the lock of her family's new apartment. Despite the nearly four hour drive it would have taken to get here from Boston Emma had decided to take the scenic route, or the route with a myriad of potholes and endless uneven roads as Regina liked to call it, and it had taken them most of the day to reach New York.

"It's nice," said Henry smiling as his voice echoed in the bare room. He ran to the window to take a look at the skyline of his new home noting that all the lights amongst the darkness looked like stars across a clear sky.

"Hey kid, the master is the only one with a bed right now so why don't you take that tonight and your mom and I will camp out here." 

"On the floor," replied Regina. "Are we woods people? I'm a gentlelady and a bit more refined." 

"Oh come on it's not that bad. In between foster homes when I would be out on the streets I would have killed to have a nice warm floor to sleep on. Instead of, you know, a sewer grate," the blonde said giving a cheeky smile. 

"Why don't you head back down to the parking garage and grab some blankets," smirking at her son as she handed him the keys.

"You know one of these days that poor little orphan Annie card isn't going to work with me." 

"I shudder to think of such a day existing," she said continuing to grin.

Regina rolled her eyes and continued to peruse the apartment. It was nice she admitted to herself if not a bit plain but she would fix that soon enough. There was no better way to get the career juices flowing than redesigning your own space. There were two bathrooms, apple hardwood floors, and a kitchen with all new appliances. There was only a single bedroom but a sizable loft above the living space that would become Henry's room.

As she stared out the window she felt Emma come up from behind her and wrap her arms around her waist.

"Do you want to see the bedroom?" The blonde ask bringing her lips to the other woman's neck.

The action was pleasing but something about it felt strange and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The younger woman's hand moved lower and....

"I got the blankets!" Henry called out excitedly.

They pulled away to a more publicly appropriate distance knowing that Henry, like most children, became embarrassed when faced with overt affection between parents.

"I am really tired anyway," she whispered to the blonde.

"Right," she smiled. In a couple of days after we get everything set up and we settle in we'll go out just the two of us, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled.

Days turned into weeks but the intimacy "the love" that they had shared in Boston for the past nine years did not return and neither Emma nor Regina understood why.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT

       Emma Swan sat in her yellow Volkswagen beetle outside of Fabi's Pizza and Calzones waiting for one Mr. Eric Nottelmann, 31, five foot eleven, 190 pounds, brown hair, arrested February 16, 2013, two counts drunk and disorderly and one count resisting arrest. She bit into her slice of sausage and mushroom, Chicago, Saint Louis, and everybody else could shove it the best pizza in the world was in New York City and luckily for her Mr. Nottelmann agreed. She had gotten ahold of a copy of his phone records and at least three times a week a call came in for a large pepper and kielbasa pie with extra cheese. The blonde had asked the cook to contact her the next time he made an order for pick up and a mere forty-eight hours later she found herself watching as the target made his way into the Queens pizzeria. She climbed out grabbing several gift bags and straightening her oversized I Love NY shirt and followed him in. She grabbed a menu pretending to peruse it while purposely slamming into Eric.

"Uff da," she said bringing the tourist persona to full circle with the North Central accent she recalled from her youth.

"Ah jeez you spilled your pop, I sure am sorry dontcha know," giving the most wide eyed and innocent look she could.

"No, no it's okay," he said shooing away her hands which were attempting to soak up the liquid with napkins.

"It's just that everything here is so tall and fast, it's hard to keep up." 

"I get it things can get pretty crazy in the city especially for first timers." 

"How could you tell?"

"No way a sweet thing like you could have come from this city," he smiled at her and winked.

"Oh well aren't you nice", she said flirting back. "I would very much like to buy you a new pop." 

He smiled his toothy grin again. "You know "pop" is always nice, it's cool and refreshing, but sometimes you need something with a bit more heat something hard," he said along with what he thought was a subtle gesture towards his crotch.

"Oh I don't think that is such a good idea." The blonde said as she touched her hand to his arm.

"And why is that?" He leaned in closer to her.

"Eric," she smiled sweetly dropping the accent. "You and I both know you can not handle your liquor." 

He looked down hearing the click of handcuffs around his wrist .

"YOU BITCH!" He screamed attempting to punch her in the face.

She quickly deflected the strike using his own momentum to slam him against the wall and secure the other cuff.

"Well just for that I'm not going to let you keep your pizza. Now let's go because it's almost five o'clock and I have a prior engagement." 

        When Emma walked into the waiting room she found her wife focused on her phone as swift fingers moved about the keypad oblivious to the blonde's arrival.

"Who are you talking to?" 

Regina pulled her attention from the screen, she had heard the question often in the last few months but this time when she looked into her wife's eyes there was no accusation of any kind. It had merely been a question of curiosity about what was going on in her life.

"Walsh, we start construction on that town house in Carnegie Hill Thursday."

"So he's working out pretty well, this Walsh? "

"Yea," She smiled he's very professional.

"Good, that's really...good," the blonde said at a loss for words.

"What a stupid thing to say" she silently berated herself. To be perfectly honest she only had a vague understanding about what interior designers did....or decorators, wait was there a difference between the two? She did not know. It was strange all these years together and she had not bothered to ask, she had never talked in great detail about her own job but that had more to do with not wanting to discuss the particular circumstances of why some of these men and women were arrested. When she did talk it was with Henry and it was pg-13 versions of stories at their most vicious but when she talked to Regina all she knew was that work was "good" and she was "good" at it. Emma continued to ponder this until Dr. Vogelsang came out and called the into the office.

          Sex. The word was out in the open now. Regina and Emma both stiffened when the doctor uttered the query _, "_ Are the two of you still having sex?"

The brunette could count the number of times she and Emma had been intimate in the last few months on one hand, if you could even call it intimacy. While those times had not necessarily been unpleasant, if she could describe it as anything it would be mechanical and driven by need. All except for one instance which could only be described as "fucking". It had occurred after a heated argument that ended with intense stares, heavy breathing, and before she realized it Emma was sprawled across the table with her hand down the blonde's pants. Afterwards Regina had felt relaxed and carefree, that is, until not three hours later when she sat across from her son eating dinner on the very same table.

Emma meanwhile, recalled the shower she and Regina had shared a week earlier comparing it to the first time they had bathed together. It had been New Year's Day of 2006 and the night before had been the first time Emma had "stayed over". When Emma had gotten out of prison she had moved to Boston to be close to her son. They had an open adoption and after finding out the blonde had no other family Regina had invited her to spend the holidays with them and every year after that. When she had woken up she had found the brunette surrounded by steam looking nothing more than celestial and she was overcome with the need to touch her again. The two scenes did not match up and she longed for the days when all she needed was a scented candle and the brunette in a lace bra to get her in the mood.

"Not too often," she answered. The doctor scribbling notes into a pocket book.

       Henry was sitting at his desk attempting to finish his math homework but cared very little about what the angle of the triangle was. The entire week his mind had been preoccupied on his mothers, which also caused him to tank a science test that they of course would never find out about, the eleven year old reassured himself. He had been searching for signs of what might be going on between them but so far nothing had come up yet. He looked up at the clock, 7:35, Mrs. Cuse was downstairs watching the news and his mothers were still not home yet. He glanced over the loft's side railing down at the master bedroom it was now or never he decided and made his way down the steps. He opened the door turning on the light revealing the pristine bedroom he started in the closet but found nothing more than boxes of packed away winter clothes and shoes, lots and lots of shoes. Next he moved to the roll top desk, there he found various papers, legal agreements, insurance bills, bank statements with no extravagant purchases listed, nothing that gave any indication of trouble. Then it hit him and he felt stupid for not thinking of it before, his mom's lap top. He pulled the sleek black device from its carrier and booted it up already knowing the password HDM083001.

Money well spent, thought Emma facetiously as she walked into the apartment her wife not far behind. The doctor's suggestion was to reestablish romance in the relationship, she could have gotten that advice from a greeting card. Though trying to be more courteous to each other she admitted was something she could handle easily enough.

"Do you want to get something to eat?"  The brunette asked after feeling her own stomach rumble.

"There should still be some leftovers in the fridge."  She found the box and flipped it open for the older woman

"What ever possessed you to buy that," she asked looking disgustedly at the toppings and beginning to pluck the Hungarian sausage off.

''Got it cheap," she smirked. "Guy never picked it up." 

Satisfied with just the peppers Regina placed the slice into the microwave and made her way to the bedroom in order to change out of the day's clothing.

Henry, meanwhile frantically moved trying to put everything back in its place. He had to walk through the living space to get out of his mothers' room so he already knew he was caught, being caught doing what was the key though.

"Henry?"  He jumped at his name.

"Oh, hi mom." 

"What are you doing in here honey?"

"My batteries they died," he said gesturing towards the calculator he had pulled from their desk. "Can't finish my homework without it." 

"I wish you wouldn't wait this long to do your homework." 

"I know, I'm almost done. I promise." 

"Well there is some pizza in the fridge," she said . I could heat some up for you if you'd like?

**"** Yea thanks, that would be great." He smiled sadly at her before leaving her room and returning to his own, thoughts of what he had found swimming in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "13 Words You'll Only Understand if You're from Minnesota," Joe Magliocco. July 13, 2015


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Once Upon a Time. Thank you all for your support and interest in this story, let's try and reach a 2000 hits goal with this chapter :)

         They were currently sitting at a table in Ostria waiting for their steaks and Regina was none too happy at the moment. She was never someone who took orders well, especially when said orders were being given out by some smug twenty two year old with her daddy's credit card. A headache was beginning to form behind her eyes and the frustration caused by her client was steadily building when Walsh pulled her aside and invited her to lunch. The brunette had been trying to explain to the girl what a support wall was and why she could not have it knocked down. They ordered a glass of wine, she was the boss who was she going to get in trouble with, and discussed the project before the man turned the subject to Regina herself.

"So are you a native of New York or one of the millions taken in by its bright lights?" He smiled.

"Bright lights," she smiled back. "I grew up all over the Northeast but before moving here we were in Boston."

"We?"

"My son and I,"  she quickly answered unsure of exactly why she had failed to mention Emma.

"You have a son?" 

"Henry," a broad smile graced her face. "He is eleven, intelligent, thoughtful, and warm hearted." 

Walsh began to chuckle, "I am sorry it is just that those are such mom things to say. In fact I think my own mother has used those adjectives to describe myself when she encounters single women."

"What about you, where are you from?" 

"Smack dab in the middle of nowhere Kansas, growing up it was an exciting day if I saw a car with Missouri license plates." 

"So I am guessing you were taken in by the bright lights too?"

"I came here to be an artist, I was determined to be the next Pierre Le Gros, except for a period of time in the fifth grade when I wanted to be a circus magician, he laughed.

"Anyway things did not work out quite as well as I had hoped and I decided that the masses should be able to enjoy my work at a much "much" lower price than I dreamed of and opened up The Wizard of Oak." 

"Well I am certainly glad you decided to open your shop." 

"Here is to settling, he raised his glass high."

The waiter came with their food and as Regina cut into her rib eye she thought about how relaxed she felt and how long it had been since she genuinely laughed out loud. She found in the last few months that people really took the phrase "Laughing Out Loud" for granted. Walsh did not look like he took much if anything for granted, she liked the idea of that, of being able to roll with the punches instead of taking the strike full force and trying to recover. For over an hour they continued to talk about every little detail of their lives, all except for one. For some reason she never did bring Emma up, the brunette tried to convince herself that she did not want to burden the man with her marital strife but there was nearly a decade of happy memories with the blonde woman that she failed to share as well.

        Across town Emma balked at her son not willing to believe that he had been in a fight with a classmate, but the dark circle that encompassed his eye was proof enough. As they waited in the hard plastic seats a redheaded boy had stepped out of the office holding a rag to his lip, obviously the other boy involved, followed by a similarly redheaded man behind the boy both making their way to the parking lot, locking eyes with Emma as he passed by her.

"Henry Mills," the secretary called out. "Principal Davidson will see you both now." 

Walking through the door of the principal's office she took a seat directly across from the large man having flashbacks of her own misspent youth in the process.

"Emma Swan, I am Henry's mother," she said reaching for the man's hand.

"John Davidson. Now we are usually very happy with Henry, he is a hard worker, listens well, but the last few weeks his teachers have expressed some concern over his behavior, missing assignments and a number of tardies things of that nature." 

"Henry is this true?"

He shrugged his shoulders but said nothing.

The man brought his full attention to Henry, "Now son is there anything going on that has you on edge, maybe that is making a little harder to control your actions?"

He shrugged again, not making eye contact with either of the adults in the room and droning out the man's conversation with his mother.

       They had spent another twenty minutes in the principal's office before they were finally dismissed. Henry had been told in no uncertain terms to go home for the rest of the day. Emma fumed as she drove home making sure her son knew just how lucky he was that this had happened so close to finals or he would have received a suspension instead of detention for the rest of the semester. She tried to get him to tell her what was wrong but he remained silent the entire car ride a scowl plastered on his face. When she unlocked the door to their apartment he rushed past her racing up to his bedroom.

"I want you to stay up there and study you hear me? No video games and no non school related internet, I will come and get you when dinner is ready." The boy gave no indication that he had heard his mother but obeyed her still and stayed in his room. Henry collapsed on his bed burying his head in a pillow careful not to put too much pressure on his eye and not willing to give his mother the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

"Henry Daniel Mills come down here now!" He glanced at the clock 5:30, his mom was home and so began round two.

"What were you thinking?!"  She grabbed his chin taking a better look at her son's eye clearly upset by its current condition. The good mood that Regina had come home with was quickly squashed when her wife told her of the visit to the principal's office.

"I am fine just leave it alone," he said pushing her hand away.

"Henry it's not fine, cutting classes fighting. Whatever it is that is going on I don't like what it is doing to you."

"I said I'm fine!"

"Hey you do not talk to her like that, to either of us like that. Do you understand me?" 

He did not answer and averted his eyes.

"Henry? Do you understand me?" 

He brought his eyes back up to the blonde's. "Yes, I understand." 

"Good, now go set the table." 

"Yes ma'am." 

           Later that night when Regina and Emma were getting ready for bed they discussed the matter further.

"Did you say anything to him about what is going on between us ?" The brunette asked.

"Of course not. I want to involve Henry in our problems as little as you do." 

"Well what else could it be then ?" she asked forlornly.

"Maybe it's just puberty, we knew this age would come eventually." 

"Great this is all we need right now." 

"It happens when it happens, next thing you know his voice will drop and he will be taller than us, she smiled." 

"And then some little trollop will waltz in and before you know it we will start being called grandma," she replied petulantly and almost as an after thought, "Wait how tall was Neal?" 

It was rare that Henry's father was ever discussed in fact both women avoided talking about the man as much as humanly possible. The Idea of a twenty four year old man impregnating a barely seventeen year old girl and just leaving her to take the fall for his crime was truly sickening. Regina was well aware of how Emma ended up in prison and they had talked about it for the first time with Henry last year when he expressed an interest in knowing where he had come from. She had never brought this up to Emma but she did often worry about the man who had sired her son. From what she understood Neal had a similar upbringing to Emma and she hoped that his criminality was a result of an unfortunate childhood and not anything physically wrong that may have passed onto Henry.

"Average I guess, I don't really remember. Look it's something that a billion other parents are going through right now, we knew this was coming and we have prepared for it. Maybe sometime this weekend we can all go out and talk about the "changes," it's not the end of the world we will all be okay." 

It was the first time in a long while that the two women had felt connected to one another. The fear and excitement that both women felt knowing that their son was entering a new phase of his life was made better by not having to go through it alone and they both admitted to themselves that it was nice being a "team" again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT.

        The next day Regina walked into Walsh's work shop to drop off some designs for cabinets, still reeling from the night before and the inevitable talk she must have with her baby boy. Her lackluster mood must have shown on her face for as soon as she entered the back room of Wizard of Oak the proprietor asked her what was bothering her? She recalled the ease with which she spoke to the man the day before and without missing a beat let all her frustration from the previous night pour out.

"I would not let it weigh so heavily on your mind," he replied. "Boys that age just get restless from time to time." 

"He has never acted like this before though, what if it is something more serious?" 

"Nothing is stopping you from regularly talking to him but privacy is important right now, if you notice he is not coming out of his mood after a few weeks then it is something to be concerned with. Other than that you hold it together and ride it out, you will be fine I promise." 

"Sometimes I think it would be easier if Henry would have been a girl." 

"Think back to yourself at that age," he said smirking. "Clearing his throat awkwardly he asked his next question . By the way you are speaking, I take it that Henry's father is no longer in the picture? "

Regina gave pause, the obvious answer was no Henry's father was not present in their lives, of course Regina also knew how to read between the lines and what he was really asking her was whether or not she was single? While the brunette knew that she should not encourage the man's attentions in the back of her mind she acknowledged that it had been awhile since she felt attractive or desirable even and that it felt nice to be pined after. Regina convinced herself that as long as she assured Walsh that this would never be more than a professional relationship she did not see the harm in having the man as a friend.

"No, Henry's father is.... His father and I are not together." 

He appeared to like her answer.

"Well if you ever need any advice from the male perspective I am at your beck and call." He smiled reassuringly.

Regina smiled back and thanked the man but as she did so a wave of guilt blanketed her.

       Emma meanwhile was vigorously looking through web pages on the best way to handle _the talk_ with Henry. Her own experience was limited to the gossip spread amongst her foster siblings and a conversation with a school nurse on how to use a tampon applicator, none of which would help her with her son. How was she supposed to know how to have this discussion with Henry when no one had had one with her? Although she supposed her experience was better than Regina's talk with her own mother who brought a fair amount of shame to the issue of sex and used euphemisms like lady gift rather than proper anatomical terms. The blonde had only met Cora a handful of times and each of those times they had been cordial to one another but she knew on at least one occasion the phrase "corrupting dyke" had been uttered under the older woman's breath. She was unsure if Regina had discussed any of their current problems with the older woman but if she had Emma had no doubt that the family matriarch was at this very moment searching through her list of wealthy widowers to set her daughter up with. The blonde continued to ponder on the woman, despite Cora's tactlessness and often times indifferent personality she knew the woman loved her wife and while her attempts to help were misguided they came from a sincere want for her daughter to have the best in life. She supposed she could not get too angry at that and from the stories Regina told of her father Henry Sr. had been a living dream, always doting on his beloved daughter. That was the type of life Emma had dreamed of when she was growing up and it pained her dearly that she never had it. Just as the thought crossed her mind Emma realized that while she may not of had that life as a child it was not completely absent from her life either. August 30th 2001 at 8:15 in the morning she felt an amount of love that she never thought possible and though she tried to avoid looking at the child she knew she must give up she could not help but spare a glance at the squalling child. She gifted Henry to Regina to ensure that he would have the best chance possible the best life possible but little did the blonde know was that the woman that was sitting in the waiting room during all of this was also the key to her own best possible life. The moment Regina became a permanent fixture her life stabilized she was happy and while Emma was not one to use the term _true love_ it had certainly felt that way. It surely could not have been a coincidence that the woman who had adopted her son was her....her what? Soul mate true love whatever they had been in the past it had to have been fate that brought them together, right? She pulled out her cell phone and looked at the lock screen a picture of Regina and Henry from last summer's Pride stared back at her. A sad smile graced her face, she wanted that life back and it was at that moment she made herself a promise. Emma would listen to what the therapist had to say, she would put in the effort, she would be more considerate of her wife's needs, and with every ounce of her being she promised herself that she would do whatever it took to make Regina Mills fall back in love with her.

          When Saturday arrived Regina and Emma readied themselves for the puberty/sex talk with Henry, both nervous about how to approach the subject with their son.

"Henry come down here." 

"What," he groaned walking down the steps.

Though bothered by his tone she ignored it for the time being. Come on, we are all going out to lunch.

"Together?" He asked incredulously. "I have homework to do." 

"On a Saturday." 

"Finals start on Monday," he glared. "I have to study."

Regina was starting to get annoyed at the boy's attitude, "you can take a break for a couple hours to come out and have lunch with your mother and me. Now go upstairs get your shoes on and meet us down here in five minutes."

The youth groaned in frustration as he walked up the stairs leaving the two women alone again.

"Are we sure this is a good idea ?" Asked the brunette. "He is just so angry right now I don't think he is going to be very receptive. "

"It has to get done whether it is today, tomorrow, or next week." Then she smirked, "Come on we can not do any worse than **Alice in Wonderland** in this scenario." 

**"Alice in Wonderland** is about puberty? "

"Seriously, painting the white flowers red. It is rather obvious." 

The joke did not have its intended effect of easing the brunette's nervousness so instead Emma pulled the other woman in for a hug and rubbed soothing circles onto her wife's back. The gesture felt foreign but not unpleasant in fact it felt very pleasant and for the first time in who knew how long Regina relaxed into the blonde's embrace.

"It will be okay Regina." 

It was oddly comforting to simply hear her own name on her wife's lips and if she were being honest the brunette did feel much more at ease. They separated when the brunette's phone began to vibrate, she looked down at the screen alerting her to a text from Walsh.

**I believe in u uv got this ;)**

As she read the message Regina was overcome with a sense of familiarity, like a memory that was just out of her reach. Unfortunately, another familiar feeling also came with it, the familiar and overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over her and the brunette desperately tried to bury it deep down inside.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT.

       Sitting across from the counselor Regina angrily drummed her fingers on the side table not yet ready to speak. Their talk with Henry had taken an unfortunate turn and now the good doctor was playing mediator. Finally the brunette turned her attention to the other woman who was looking just as angry by this point, tired of the carousel like conversation.

"I told you to get rid of it." 

"And I told you I use it for work. Besides it's not like you did not know about it before, you took the picture for god's sake." 

"And because of it Henry was devastated." 

"Regina, Emma remember to use your TASK." 

**O** **h go fuck your TASK,** thought the younger woman, but she remained silent trying to gain control over the situation.

       Saturday had started out as well as could be expected quite frankly they did a better job than they thought they would have. Henry remained silent throughout most of it, the embarrassment of the conversation could clearly be seen on the youth's face. It was not until the end that the discussion took a nosedive.

"So do you have anything you want to ask us about?" 

"No," he said quickly focusing intently on his gelato rather than his mothers.

"Are you sure because you do not have to be afraid or embarrassed to ask us anything, we would like everything to be open between us." 

"Open," he laughed mockingly finally bringing his attention to the women. "Like you are being with me?"

"What are you talking about sweetheart?"  Regina asked reaching for the boys hand, relieved that he did not pull away from her touch. "Please, just tell us what has been bothering you lately? "

It was becoming very apparent to Emma that the majority of their son's anger was being directed at her and she would be lying if she said she was not just a little bit hurt.

"I want to live with you. When you guys get divorced I want to live with you," he told Regina.

"Henry! Your mom and I are not getting....

Emma could not finish the sentence so she dropped her tone and continued on a different path. "It is true that your mom and I have been having some problems and I am sorry we did not tell you before but we did not want you to worry while we were trying to work things out."

"You're lying!" He shouted drawing attention from the people around them. "You don't love us, you only pretend to and I don't want to see you anymore." 

"Henry, no don't say that." Regina said defending the blonde. "We both love you more than anything in this world." 

Henry turned to his mom tears beginning to form in his eyes, "She is cheating on you." 

"What!" They cried out in unison, once again bringing others to their attention.

Regina questioningly turned to Emma hurt evident in the brunette's eyes.

"I am not I swear," she looked determinedly at the other woman silently pleading for her wife to believe her. "Henry, why on earth would you say such a thing?" 

Unconvinced he answered, I" saw it on your computer, you have a profile on a dating website." 

"Henry, you know better than to go through our private possessions." 

"Do not try to change the subject! You know that it is true! "

Defeatedly Emma replied. "Yes, it is true that I have a profile, it is not my first either. But Henry I swear that I have never used it with the intention of actually "meeting" someone." 

The boy remained doubtful of his mother's explanations and let his feelings of betrayal be known.

They were pulled from their shared memory by Dr. Vogelsang. "Have you been actively seeking out a new romantic partner Emma?" 

"No!" She replied quickly having been caught off guard. "I said before I work as a bail bonds person and instead of hiring a bounty hunter to track down jumpers I save money by doing it myself, the dating sites are just a way to draw out some of the criminals." 

A"nd you discussed this with your son?" 

"We tried to," answered Regina.

"Children are very aware of what is going on in their surroundings, he clearly was aware of the discord in your relationship, by the way you are speaking it seems he is feeling exceptionally vulnerable right now which unfortunately can breed future problems. My suggestion to you is to discuss our sessions with him, you do not have to go in depth with anything too personal but these relationship building exercises are not necessarily only for couples. It may be beneficial for him as a way to ensure trust amongst the three of you to include him in some of these exercises."

****

**The Enchanted Forest Three months ago**

Snow and David were standing in front of the bay window of their bedroom kissing passionately. After being ousted from the Queen's castle by the Wicked Witch they had made their way to the Summer palace to begin its reconstruction. "Snow, David, are you two awake yet?" asked Red before entering Grumpy following not far behind her.

"Sorry to interrupt but we have got a problem." 

"The dwarves have not heard from Sneezy or Dopey since yesterday afternoon, we have been getting reports from all over the Enchanted Forest of people heading out towards the edge of the Dark Forest never to be seen again."

"Zelena?"

"Who else could it be sister?"

"She is definitely up to more than just usurping the Queen's castle, there has to be something that we can do."

"Why? It's not like swords and arrows are going to do much good. All we have to do is wait for the rainy season to start and our witch problem will take care of itself,"  replied Grumpy.

"Well we have to do something soon everyone is beginning to panic, too terrified to even leave their houses." 

"Should we tell them," she smiled up at her husband.

"Snow, it is so early are you sure? "

Oh come on David, this is just the sort of news that will lift everyone's spirits .

Red and Grumpy leaned in curiously.

"I.... am pregnant," she beamed brightly. "David and I are going to have another baby." She squealed in delight kissing David again.

       Zelena watched the Charmings intently through one of her sister's many enchanted mirrors, rolling her eyes as they discussed possible ways to bring her down. Just as she was getting ready to throw a fireball through the portal she heard the most glorious of news uttered from the raven haired woman's mouth. "Pregnant."

"Pregnant, how perfectly wonderful." She was just going to snatch some random forest whelp to perform her spell but this, this was just too perfect of an opportunity. It was all coming together now, her skin beginning to tingle with excitement as she watched the heroes, she was finally pulled away when the ejected Wizard of Oz flew into the parlor.

"Well? "

Screeeeeech.

"Really? And you are certain that it is them?"

Screeeeeech.

"My my dear sister, what an interesting plot twist indeed," the green witch began snicker.

Screeeeeech.

"No, not yet there has been a change in plans. Insert yourself into their lives for right now, just enough to disrupt them. In a few months when the charming bundle of joy arrives.... she smiled nefariously. When the child arrives all I have ever dreamed of will be mine."

"Now go my beautiful one and be sure to send Regina my love," she began to laugh again.

The creature gave a final screech before flying off back to his home world of a land without magic leaving the red headed witch behind to revel in her plan.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT

        Finishing up her breakfast Emma scanned over her list of Jumpers. Kirkpatrick, Claire 41 petty theft pays $500, Daniels, Louis19 grand theft auto pays $1000, and Dansic, Paul 35 fraud and embezzlement pays $15,000. The Dansic case was clearly a hot priority but he would also take several days to track down. Deciding that Louis and Kirkpatrick could be accomplished on a nine to five schedule she grabbed her keys and made her way out the door, sticking a pin in the Dansic file for a day that did not have her marriage riding on it. After Monday's session Regina and Emma had discussed the idea of spending more alone time with one another at the very least they hoped it would assuage Henry's fears of infidelity in their relationship, which the blonde had yet to fully discuss with their son. Today would be her and Regina's first date, or the first since beginning counseling, and she did not want to fuck it up. Which to her dismay was an all to likely situation considering she had still not planned the evening's activities. She tried to think of something they could do, dinner and a movie was a little too obvious but maybe they should start out that way and steadily build from there. She did not want to struggle with trying to top every single previous date they had so it was probably better that they start out small, right? But maybe that was not romantic enough, what had she done the first time? She wracked her brain but nothing came to mind as if life had not existed before Regina. Of course she knew this not to be true and attributed their first date to most likely having been a simple non romantic family outing with Henry. Emma groaned in annoyance, she had until six thirty she reassured herself. Surely she could think of an enjoyable evening out by that time, she thought confidently as she made her way into the apartment complex of the first mark of the day. 

        Henry sat in the library staring up at the clock that read four, surrounded by five other detentionees he anxiously waited for the last twenty minutes of his punishment to pass by. Two more days, just two more days of this and he would be free from his confinement and then the refreshing breath of summer vacation would be upon him. He looked to his left, at the far end of the room was Todd Copperman, the seventh grader who had landed him in this predicament. He glared at the boy with his stupid red hair and stupid face, happily noticing that his lip was still slightly swollen due to the cut he had given him. As he continued to stare the memory of the events that had lead to their fight began to percolate and his anger returned.

       Henry had been gathering his books readying himself for the second half of the day's classes when Todd came up from behind him and slammed him into the lockers. His elbow collided full force into the hard metal causing him to drop the contents of his hands. While Henry was not a regular target of Todd's the mere fact that he was a lowly sixth grader alerted him to the fact that he would at some point become the object of the redhead's hostility. As he reached down to pick up his supplies the older boy kicked them away laughing as he did so, Henry had had enough. Todd's taunting combined with the utter disaster that was the past week with his mothers had all culminated in that one moment and Henry reared back his arm. The strike was a surprise more than anything to both the other boy as well as all the other students around them, no one had ever dared to retaliate before. Henry took the other boy's shock as an opportunity to pounce on him bringing them both to the ground in a fury of punishing blows. There was a roar of students chanting _fight fight fight_ none of which the younger boy heard due to the adrenaline rushing through his body. Unfortunately when the redhead seemed to regain his senses he was able to flip Henry onto his back relaying his own blows upon the smaller boy. Henry blocked as many as possible desperately flailing his legs in an attempt to kick the other boy off of him. It took a few moments but finally he felt the suffocatingly heavy weight of the other body removed from his own, his relief however did not last long as he realized the boy had been pulled off of him by the campus security officer. Dread filled his stomach as a second officer brought him to his feet, Henry had never been in trouble before least of all for a fight and he feared the consequences as they were both marched to the principal's office.

       It was strange, at that moment he had never been more angry at his Ma than he had been right then, but when she walked into the school and looked at him with disbelief and then disappointment he felt an overwhelming sense of shame and regret for what he had done. When four twenty came around he gathered his things and waited in the office for his Ma to sign him out for the day. When she did however they did not immediately drive home instead Emma and Henry sat in the parking lot as she pulled out files with the words CLOSED in bold red letters on them.

_"_ Now Henry I know we have been having a lot of tension between us lately and given what you found out I can understand why you thought what you did." She pulled out her phone clicking on the dating site app.

"Your Mom and I were not being open about what was happening between us and I am sorry you got hurt because of it. I just want you to know that the problems she and I are having right now have never been about you, we both love and want what is best for you." 

She flipped open the first file "Max Caulfield" she opened up a conversation on her phone showing TOTHEMAX's profile picture matching that of the man in the mugshot.

"I met up with him at a sports bar, Red Wings v. Islanders I cuffed him just as Ryan Strome made their only goal of the night." 

She flipped open the next file, "Irene Cole also known as Coleminer81, I met with her at a coffee shop over in the Village she screamed obscenities at me the whole drive to the police station." 

"And Ryan Anders InvestmentBanker34, I met him at a restaurant and when I told him who I was he flipped the table over and spilled wine all over my dress." 

Henry carefully inspected the pictures presented to him they were indeed matches to the ones in the files.

_"_ These are real?" He asked."You really were using them for work?" 

"Henry, I promise you I have never been unfaithful to your mom. I really want things to be the way they used to be, with all three of us." 

"I want that too." 

T"here are somethings that your mom and I need to keep between just us, I hope you can understand that but we will try to include you more and be more honest with you." 

"Thank you," he felt at ease for the first time in weeks.

She hugged him close overjoyed when she felt his own grip tighten around her.

"Now I do need your help with something kid," she said smiling at him.

"What? "

"Operation: First Date ."


	12. Chapter 12

        Emma and Henry had worked the rest of the afternoon and just as she was finishing up her hair she heard Regina enter the apartment. She went to greet the older woman at the door however the brunette did not seem to notice her but instead was prattling on about something Walsh had said at lunch.

"Regina," she called out trying to grab her wife's attention.

...and he absolutely agrees with me that she is a complete spoiled little brat," she said chuckling.

"Regina," she tried again.

...but then I told him...

"MOM!" Henry called out. The brunette finally looked up giving her full attention to her son, who merely gestured for her to look at his other mother.

"Oh," her face showed surprise but softened as she appreciated the blonde. "You look...nice." 

"Is this okay? Did we say another night?" She asked becoming unsure of herself.

"Yes...no, I mean I just did not think that we would...just give me twenty minutes, okay?" 

"Okay," she said nervously. "That's fine, I will go ahead and get Henry something to eat and then we can go. "

Regina quickly made her way to the master bathroom for a quick shower her anxiety level swiftly rising.

"Fuck! "She said to herself. She had completely forgotten about tonight. Regina of course had not intended to but she had been fairly distracted by...things today. Walsh had come in with a beautifully constructed coffee table with stained wood tile mosaics and of course the princess had to butt in on how it did not quite match up what she had been shown in preliminary sketches. She vigorously rinsed the shampoo from her hair trying to steady her nerves and clear her mind so that she could focus on the date. Date it was funny how ridiculous the word sounded in her mind and on her lips. Dating was a word used by acne laced teenagers not a thirty-five year old married woman with a kid, she pondered. But this was clearly something Emma wanted to do and the blonde had looked so beautiful, she had nearly forgotten how lovely the other woman was. She made her way towards the closet beginning to rush as she noticed that she was quickly losing time. Regina pulled on a leopard print dress with a black jacket and matching heels, swiping some mousse in her recently dried hair.The brunette checked herself one last time in the mirror before heading into the living room but when she did she found only her son.

"You look nice mom," he said just before biting into a McNugget.

"Thank you honey," she smiled at him. "Where is your ma? "

"She said for you to meet her up on the roof top." 

"Alright, but remember...

"Lock the door behind you, do not go outside, and do not answer the door for anyone," the boy said knowing the rules of staying home alone by heart.

"And no on television or video games, you hear me? Don't think I will not know either, I have eyes all over this apartment," she said.

"Yes ma'am." He said knowing full well he was still being punished for the prior week's fight.

Emma had decided to go all in for her _first_ date with Regina and after picking up Henry and getting a little intel from him, she had worked tirelessly to make everything just perfect. When the brunette walked in the apartment seemingly unaware of her presence it had been somewhat of a disappointment, after all being more present in each other's lives was what tonight was all about, right? She had bought a new dress a rare commodity amongst the endless supply of denim jeans as well as spent nearly twenty minutes trying to figure out what to do with hair. Emma was really trying and she hoped Regina would be more susceptible as the night progressed. She checked her phone it was nearly seven o'clock. Great, a banner start to their new relationship, she thought just before hearing the door shut. Turning to the other woman she was left awestruck, Regina looked truly engaging.

Regina also took a second opportunity to appreciate her wife. The sky was just beginning to turn bright pink noticing that it was a nice contrast to the pale pink dress that the blonde was wearing.

"Hi," Emma said taking the initiative to give a chaste kiss on the brunette's cheek while leading her towards the small metal table and pouring them a glass of red wine.

"So," the blonde asked. "How long have you lived in New York?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow in confusion at her wife, as if the blonde had gone crazy.

"What? It is the first date, we need to make small talk." She smiled.

"I think we are a little past first date conversation, it is not as if this is a complete reset. You already know where I am from, what my relationship with my family is like, and even what my favorite color is." 

"Yea, I was never really satisfied with that color part though. Black is technically an absorption of all colors and not a color in itself." 

The brunette frowned at the other woman's comment.

"Sorry, probably not the best way to start a conversation." 

"So, what do we talk about?" 

"I do not know, you were talking about something that had happened at work when you first got home, do you want to start with that?"

"Um...no. She said slowly, I do not want us to talk about...business tonight." The brunette said, realizing that her employee was occupying much too much of her mind as of late. A problem that was becoming increasingly more confusing as time was wearing on. "Why don't we just start with dinner and see where it goes?"

"Perfect," she said giving her best smile.

**Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it,** internally scolding herself, so far it had been a severely rocky start and she only hoped that her wife approved of the meal, she knew that it was one of Regina's favorites but she had never attempted to cook it herself before.

"Shrimp fajitas," the brunette gave a genuine smile to the blonde.

Relief flooded her body and Emma was starting to feel at ease as she grabbed a tortilla from the container and started loading up the other woman's plate.

The blonde admitted that she had originally thought the tortilla warmer a stupid and frivolous buy, but she found that there was just something about a soft warm corn tortilla that pulled the whole meal together. 

While not feeling as tense, the meal was still eaten in uncomfortable silence for most of its beginning. Regina finally decided to break the silence by asking about the seasoning used on the shrimp but soon after they had returned to silence. When they finished up Emma informed the other woman that they would be moving to a new location, the courtyard of their apartment, for desert. Emma grabbed a small cooler that contained Regina's favorite toffee apple trifle and they made their way downstairs.

"Why don't you go check on Henry while I set up?"  She said to the brunette.

"Okay," she replied making her way in the opposite direction of her wife.

Hey how is it going, the boy asked pulling his eyes away from his science study guide when he noticed his mother entering the apartment.

Regina grimaced but said nothing about the dinner. "How has your night been so far?"

"Boring," he exasperated.

"Well who is responsible for that?" She replied sternly but not unsympathetically. "Once school is over with we will talk about ending your punishment, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good, now I should be getting back to Emma." 

"Okay, hey mom," he called out before she reached the door. "She is trying you know? "

"I know sweetie," she smiled sadly. "It is just that...it is going to take time." 

As his mother left their home Henry pulled out his cell phone quickly typing out a text for his ma.

Emma heard the buzzing of her phone and opened up her son's message.

**She is on her way down. U need to turn it up to 11.**

"Great," she groaned. It is okay she could do this, she reassured herself taking her shoes off in the process.

When Regina made it down to the enclosed courtyard she could not immediately find her wife. The sun was on its last leg of the day and it was becoming difficult to see, when she did find the blonde she was surprised to say the least. There she found the other woman surrounded by the soft glow of string lights and serenely floating about the community pool in a small inflatable boat. A boat that Emma had conned Henry into blowing up all by himself as she cooked the fajitas.

"What is all this?" The brunette asked pleasantly confused.

"Back when we first started spending time together, we all took that trip to Shannon beach, the older woman nodded at the memory. We rented that little boat and took it out onto the Mystic lakes," she held out her hand to her wife who in turn placed her own in it as she took off her heels. She stepped into the boat taking a moment to steady herself before sitting down on the thin piece of urethane separating the two women from the chlorinated water. "As we sat there floating around the sun hit your face in a certain way and you just looked so beautiful, it was the first time that I saw you as more than just the mother of my son. I wanted so much to kiss you right then and there," she smiled, "of course I could not do so, not with tiny observant eyes watching our every move. So despite my unwavering love for our son I decided to recreate the memory without his presence in the boat with us," Emma smiled handing the woman a small serving of trifle. Regina was enheartened by the blonde's efforts at making their night together special, it is perfect, she replied with an endearing smile.

Emma leaned back against the side of the boat inviting the other woman to curl up against her. When Regina rested her head against the other woman's shoulder she felt the rise and fall of her chest and the heat of her body, it was comforting. They sat in silence for the rest of the night but unlike the silence of their dinner before, both women felt an overwhelming sense of peace and words were unneeded.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT.

       Emma and Regina continued to float around in peaceful tranquility for an hour or so, Regina had started to doze off but Emma did not want to rouse her for fear of breaking the moment. She looked down at the face that rested upon her shoulder, it was the first time they had been this close in months and she could smell the scent of the brunette's shampoo and resisted the urge to bury her face in the other woman's hair. The moment was perfect and Emma wished she had the power to freeze time, but alas her defensive walls began to build up and she knew inevitably the other shoe would drop. It was getting late and while still in the general area as him, Henry was certainly not old enough to spend a full night on his own.

"Regina ," the blonde called out softly.

She received no answer

"Regina ," she tried again this time noticing that her wife's eyes were beginning to flutter open.

"Come on let's get you up stairs and into bed." 

"Rather presumptuous of you on the first date Swan," she mumbled and smirked.

A smirk that Emma returned as she paddled the boat with her hands to the edge of the pool.

She gripped the concrete so as to allow Regina to safely step out of the boat first and then soon followed. When both were out of the boat they were faced with a new dilemma, how to end the date. While still in the boat, it was as if Regina and Emma were in their own little world cut off from anyone else. Now that they were on solid ground the spell seemed to have been broken and the crushing weight of their situation returned.

Regina decided to break the stalemate and reached her arms around the blonde woman and brought her lips to her cheek.

"Thank you, tonight was really nice."

The blonde wrapped her own arms around Regina's waist taking the opportunity that she had wasted before and deeply inhaled the other woman's scent.

She smelled sweet like a memory of an apple pie baking in the oven that my or may not have been real.

"I really want this to work out," said the brunette as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I know," replied Emma. "I do too." Emma felt confused, this date was supposed to breathe life back into their relationship but standing there now with her arms wrapped around her wife all she felt was drained. Emma started rubbing circles into her wife's back laughing at Regina's next question.

S"o. What next? You aren't going to wait three days to call me are you?" 

"It will most likely be a vague text the day after tomorrow," she smiled. "But why don't you start with going upstairs and making sure Henry is getting ready for bed, I have to deflate this thing before I bring it inside, I will be up soon."

"Are you sure I could wait down here with you?" 

"No you are tired, I will be up soon. Ten minutes tops." 

"Well goodnight then," she said beginning to walk away.

"Goodnight. and Regina," the blonde called out causing the brunette to turn back around. Emma pushed back a strand of dark locks and firmly planted a chaste kiss upon the other woman's lips.

"If this were a "first date" I would have called you the very next day," the blonde whispered.

Or at least that is what Regina had wanted to happen, but Emma had merely wished her goodnight as she made her way toward the inflatable boat with promises that she would not be far behind her. When she walked into the apartment she found Henry in the bathroom brushing his teeth.

"So, how was tonight? Should we book a chapel? "

The brunette laughed, Not quite, but it was nice.

"Just nice? "

"Nice," she quirked an eyebrow at him.

While she and Emma had promised to be more open with Henry, talking "girls" with her son was where Regina drew the line on details, at least as it pertained to her dating life.

She relented, "She was very charming." 

He smiled, his eyes just as bright as his freshly cleaned teeth and Regina noticed that when he flashed that charming smile he looked just like Emma. She smoothed back the boy's hair and gave him a kiss goodnight before heading to her bedroom. She changed into pajamas and lied down waiting for Emma to join her in bed but that never happened at least not while she was awake.

       Ten minutes had quickly bled into a half an hour and Emma only hoped that Regina had gone straight to sleep and had not taken her prolonged absence as a rejection. She had very much intended to quickly deflate the boat and join her family but something about the stillness in the night had kept her outside. Or was it the regret that would not leave her mind or stomach over not having kissed Regina. She had wanted to kiss the woman that much she knew and she was fairly certain that Regina had wanted her to kiss her.

"Damn it!" She semi shouted. The moment was right why had she not taken it like she had a thousand times before. Her body felt overheated and looking around to ensure the area was indeed deserted she zipped down the back of her dress leaving her in a bra and panties. She stood over the pool knowing this may be her last chance to privately swim in the complex's pool before it was overrun by school children freed for the summer. After quickly dipping a toe to check the temperature she cannonballed into the still water bringing waves of disruption to it. Emma sank to the bottom and she attempted to stay down for as long as possible but unfortunately the blonde was too buoyant and her efforts to stay under were in vain, she soon broke the water's surface gasping for air as she did. While only under for a short period of time she did actually feel more relaxed, it had given her the opportunity to weed out all other distractions in her life. All she did while under the water was focus on holding her breath and the steady thumping of her heart beat. It was nice she thought, perhaps she would try one of those new age sensory deprivation tanks sometime. Then she laughed, who was she trying to fool that was never going to happen, she thought with a smile. She continued to swim around for awhile until she was startled by a rustling noise coming from one of the courtyard trees. She looked in the general direction it was too far away to get a decent look and of course the pool water dripping into her eyes was not helping any but she was confident that she could see a large dark figure perched in the tree. Keeping her head low Emma slowly crept towards the edge of the pool in order to get a better look at whatever was in the tree. As she got closer to the edge she would swear to anyone who would ask her that she could see a pair of bright red eyes staring back at her. Hoo Hoo, Emma practically jumped out of her skin, she quickly turned in the direction of the noise but returned her gaze as the rustling started again. When she did though all she found was an empty tree and a few leaves gently floating to the ground, the dark figure was gone.

"Stupid owls," she proclaimed her heart still pounding heavily.

        Deciding that she was sufficiently tired out and a little bit paranoid Emma made her way out of the pool and back to her apartment. She gently closed the door to the dark home, tip toeing her way into the living room and first checked on Henry before heading towards the hall bathroom. She had wanted to get the chlorine smell out of her hair and opted to take a shower in there rather than the master bath so that she would not wake up Regina. As the blonde stood under the spray the incident with the owls moved to the back of her mind and she was once again struck with a familiar problem. Why had she not kissed the other woman? She had spent hours making the night just so and Regina looked as beautiful as ever but the lack of a final kiss had practically sucked out the specialness of the night. It was just not the right time. She was just nervous. Regina was practically sleep walking. Emma came up with as many excuses as possible to convince herself that not having given the other woman a true kiss goodnight had not completely ruined her efforts. She stepped out of the shower looking for an extra hair dryer as she toweled off, knowing that if even one strand of wet hair was placed upon the expensive goose feather pillows, Regina would kill her. The blonde made her way back to her bedroom being as quiet as possible while placing her dress in the dry cleaning pile and hanging up her towel to dry overnight. She threw on an oversized shirt and climbed into bed realizing that Regina was nearly to the edge of her side as if she were attempting to be as far away from Emma as possible. She did not appear to be awake but the other woman's position told her that the brunette was well aware that it had been longer than ten minutes before her return. The distance between them tugged at the blonde's heart strings it was a far cry from the closeness they had shared only an hour earlier. Emma let out a long exhale knowing that she must immediately rectify the situation, so she slowly moved herself to her wife's side of the bed and pushed her body flush against the other woman's back. She wrapped her arm around the brunette's waist while she swung her leg to rest on top of her hip and whether it was consciously or subconsciously Emma did not know but she felt the other woman adjust her body to better fit against her own.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT. Thank you to all who have commented and Kudosed my story, I hope you all like where it is going.

**The Enchanted Forest**

       Zelena watched as Snow and Charming dictated items to be brought into their child's future nursery, which was located directly across from the unused nursery of their first child. The royals had made the decision that Emma's nursery would forever remain unoccupied by any other future heirs they might have so as not to besmirch the memory of their first daughter. That bothersome Blue fairy had just informed them that in a few months time they would be blessed with a son. A son that would not spend more than a few moments in its mother's arms if she had anything to do with it. Nothing to exciting had been happening with the Charmings as of late and she was quickly becoming bored with Snow's endless supply of fabric swatches. Although she was thoroughly enjoying the fear that was plastered on the prince's face that seemed to intensify with each passing day. While certainly pleasurable to watch, the man could not have picked a worse time to become like a frightened lamb separated from its flock. For her spell to succeed she would need the man at peak physical and mental capacity, knowing that this may not be the case Zelena quickly formulated a back up plan. She had just returned from her pilgrimage to Sherwood forest to retrieve a most important magical ingredient, a task that in the future would be taken out by her winged simians she assured herself, after all she was well above manual labor by this point. After having been delayed by some unfortunate forest dwelling louse she had found it, the white moss that contained her saving grace, the Night root. To think, such a small insignificant fungus root would be the key to making David face his fears and allow his courage to become an easily capturable commodity. She glanced over at her hourglass, her little circus ape was due to arrive any second with his latest intel on Regina and just as she sat down for a leisurely lunch the winged beast swooped down and perched himself on top of his mistress's vanity.

"Hello, my lovely and what do you have for me today?" 

Screeeeech!

"Uck, how sickeningly sweet," she said plating a roasted goose and potatoes.

Screeeeech!

The green witch began to cackle, her sister had been spurned. It appeared as if Regina's extractions of the Queen's memories had also extracted her back bone, such a waste that her sister was never more of a risk taker.

Screeeeech!

The witch's mood darkened, "What do you mean you were spotted? "

Screeeeeech!

"Wonderful, must you continue to fail every task I give you," she tossed her plate aside having now lost her appetite.

Screeeeeech!

"No, use this form sparingly from now on." She smiled, "from what you have told me the best way to go about destroying Regina's life is to use your true form and I want her completely broken by the time we meet. Now go." 

Screeeeech!

"If you must," she said handing him a plate of raw cabbage, "oh and do be sure to save some for our guest won't you," she laughed hysterically as she looked toward the caged Rumplestiltskin mindlessly spinning his wheel.

****  
** **

**New York**

       Regina awoke once again before the alarm sounded; however, she noted it was early even for her and wondered what was it that had woken her? As she made her way into consciousness she became increasingly more aware of the intense heat and weight on top of her. She was shocked to find her wife wrapped around her, after last night she was not quite exactly sure of where the two of them stood with each other. She had thought the date went very well and then she became sick with anxiety when Emma had not returned. Regina lied there in darkness toiling her thumbs and trying to ignore the pit in her stomach when finally she heard the front door shut and the hall shower turn on. It must have been something _she_ had done that kept the blonde away, the insecurities of her ability to be a capable wife and mother, brought about by her own mother's overbearance, had quickly risen to the surface. Before Emma returned to their bedroom Regina had fallen asleep tears beginning to fill her eyes, positive that this had most likely been the final nail in their marital coffin. Now she was even more confused, Emma was wrapped around her like a snake around its prey, a familiar position that the brunette had once found comforting and safe but now she was starting to feel angry at the blonde's actions. It was as if she had thought nothing of staying out for over an hour by herself leaving the brunette volleying between thoughts of what had she done wrong and what if something had happened to her wife? Regina quickly disentangled herself from the other woman and made her way to the shower, unbeknownst to her that Emma was aware of her every movement.

"Shit," the blonde exclaimed.

The other woman was clearly upset and for good reason, despite being in a gated area staying out alone at night without a text or some sort of notice was a real bitch thing to do. Something Emma realized she had been doing quite often as of late, staying out all night while on a case without giving any type of update to ensure her safety. Worse yet, last night had been the first time Emma had been dishonest with her wife since they started counseling, she could only imagine what was going through Regina's mind. Okay, she thought. So plan A to reassure her wife about her intentions had failed, time to move onto plan B. Emma climbed out of bed and pulled off her night shirt following Regina into the shower. Just like a month earlier Emma grabbed a washcloth and stepped in behind her wife the scene was nearly identical except for the glance Regina graciously spared towards the blonde. In no need of a shower herself Emma rubbed the bar of soap rigorously into the piece of fabric and gently pushed aside the brunette's hair.

Regina froze the moment the other woman touched her skin until she felt the gentle caress of a cloth against her neck and a small peck upon her freshly cleaned skin. Receiving no type of signal that the brunette wanted her to stop the blonde continued on to the other woman's shoulder and down her back, careful to avoid the more intimate areas of her wife's body. While washing her wife was meant to be a loving sensual act she was not quite ready to be _that_ loving with the other woman and she was certain Regina would agree. Afterwards she handed the woman the washcloth so that she could get the bits that Emma had skipped and leaned over the other woman to turn off the faucet pressing her own body against her wife's back in the process. It got the response the blonde was hoping for as she heard her wife give out a small gasp and she smirked at Regina's look of surprise before climbing out, grabbing them both towels. She wrapped one around herself and started to open the door, barely opening it an inch before a hand was placed firmly against it and forced shut. Regina had placed herself between Emma and the door blocking the blonde from exiting the look of anger on her face.

"What are you playing at ?" She glared at the younger woman.

"What do you mean?"  The blonde feigned ignorance.

"You know what I mean Emma, last night you practically dismissed me then this morning I wake up with you on top of me and now the shower scene. What is going on?"

The brunette was becoming distressed and Emma needed to quickly nip the problem in the bud.

"Regina," she gave pause hoping she was giving a sympathetic enough face . "I know last night did not end on the note that either of us had wanted it to, but I really did enjoy our time together."

"I waited up for you." The blonde had the decency to at least look ashamed thought Regina.

"I am sorry. I was just thinking and lost track of the time," she said sheepishly , "I did not mean to make you worry."

"I wasn't worried," she said quickly.

"Angry then. You deserve better than to be left in the dark about what I am doing. "

"Yes, I do and I want this hot and cold act to stop Emma. For this relationship to last we need to push forward because I don't think I can take this circling any longer."

"I know and it will, I promise you that. I wasn't lying last night Regina, I want to be with you, I want us all to be a family again." 

Regina looked skeptical but she desperately wanted to believe the other woman. Wanted so much to believe that the connection she had felt to Emma the night before was not just a fluke and that salvaging their marriage, their family, was possible.

"I really did like the boat ," she quietly said to the blonde.

"I did too," Emma said linking their fingers together. "Just wait, next time will be perfect," she smiled kissing the other woman's temple before leaving the bathroom feeling refreshed and eager to start the day.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT.

       Friday morning came and Henry was awake by 6:15 excitedly ready to get his last day of school out of the way. Like his fellow juvenile delinquents he was heading into school early, yesterday afternoon near the end of detention Principal Davidson had come in and issued a deal. Any detentionees who came in early and helped the student council set up for the end of the year pep rally would not need to stay afterwards but would instead get to go home at noon with the rest of the students. Obviously everyone had obliged and agreed to come in at seven thirty sharp; however, getting out of detention was not the only reason for his early rise. It was becoming rare that his mom and ma shared a breakfast with each other and he decided that he was going to encourage one, which was completely different than forcing one. Truthfully he was also hoping that his efforts would butter his moms up for their discussion on the ending of his grounding. He searched through the internet and settled on a sausage and gravy recipe from Alton Brown as well as his mom's special scrambled eggs. Considering it was his first time really cooking on his own Henry thought he did fairly well, it took him a few tries to get the right salt to flour ratio for the gravy but the eggs had come out delicious and cheesy and on top of that nothing had burned. When he was finished cooking he grabbed a cup filled with water and placed three yellow flowers in it, okay so technically dandelions were weeds but they still brought a little color to the table setting, he thought. Henry knocked on his moms' bedroom door asking them for permission to enter.

"Mom, Ma it is time to get up." 

"Are you going to drive him?" Asked Regina sleepily.

"Yea. I will be out in a minute kid," Emma said equally tired. As she did though Emma noticed the time on the face of her ipad.

"Henry. It is only a quarter till, we have lots of time before you have to be at school. "

"I know, but I made breakfast. I was hoping we could **all** eat together like we used to." 

The suggestion woke both women up fully, the shock was apparent on their faces but so was their gratitude as if he had done something adorable, which embarrassed him to no end.

"Of course we can sweetheart," replied his mom. "We will be right out. "

Henry smiled and left their bedroom, so far so good, he thought. When Regina and Emma came out they found the boy pouring hot cocoa for himself and his Ma, he had not been entirely sure on how to work his mothers' coffee maker so he instead settled on fresh squeezed orange juice for Regina. The dark haired woman sat down looking at her only child's efforts, smiling sweetly at the uneven cuts of onions and peppers in the eggs made by inexperienced hands. Normally she would not indulge in such a calorie ridden meal on a weekday but she was too touched by the gesture that she could not help but give herself a generous serving. Confusedly though both she and Emma noticed that Henry was wolfing down his own food as if he were half starved and concerned very little with how much time he actually spent with his mothers.

"Hey kid slow down you are going to choke." 

"Sorry I guess I am just excited about today," he lied. "Speaking of today...

"Ah ha so that is what this was all about and here you made us think that you actually wanted to spend some quality time with your mothers," she smiled while taking a sip of her hot cocoa.

"What do you mean?" The boy feigned ignorance.

Regina quirked an eyebrow at the familiar phrase and look, "Your ma and I have talked it over and we have decided that when you come home today," Henry perked up, "that you are still grounded," his shoulders slumped and a frown found its way onto his face. "But by tomorrow morning... you are home free," she smiled at him which Henry graciously returned.

"Thanks moms," he said quickly finishing his toast and gravy and placing his plate in the dishwasher before his mothers even finished half of their own plates. Trying to get over the whirlwind that was Henry the two women returned to their meals only to be interrupted a few moments later by a knock on the door.

Emma looked at the clock it was only seven o'clock. "Were you expecting someone? "

The brunette shook her head in the negative as Emma rose to answer the door and was soon met with a dark haired figure.

"Hi Mrs. Swan, Mrs. Mills." The young girl chirped perkily.  

"Rosemary?" Rosemary Allen was an eighth grader who attended Henry's school and happened to live three floors below them. "What are you doing here? "

"Didn't Henry tell you? I am president of the student council he asked if he could get a ride with me and my mom this morning." 

"Um no, I guess it slipped his mind." 

"Oh well my mom said it was okay but if you would rather take him I will let her know." 

"No... no it is fine I will go get him," she smiled at the young girl.

But Henry was already racing down the steps and out the door, "Bye moms! "

Barely registering that her son had even been in the room Emma made her way back to the dining table noticing it in a different light than she had earlier. Henry had used the good place settings and china as well as plucked dandelions, not for the middle of the table but for in between her and Regina's plates. The rush he had been in to eat breakfast and the arranging for a ride to school all made sense now.

"This was a setup," she said to the other woman.

"I gathered as much," she said embarrassed while rubbing the back of her neck avoiding the other woman's eyes.

"We have a good son," Emma said finally catching the brunette's eyes and reaching her hand across the table.

"Yes, we do." Regina said grasping the other woman's outstretched hand gently stroking the blonde's knuckles with her thumb.

They both turned their attention back to their breakfast, finishing without ever letting go of each other's hand.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT

       "Just say the words I am, I feel , I want, I love" 

Regina and Emma sat facing one another in Dr. Vogelsang's office, participating in yet another relationship building exercise. Today the importance of extended periods of eye contact as well as physical contact with each other was pressed upon. Though they had been making strides in this area at home but it was the first time they had done anything of the sort during a session, in this particular instance they were instructed to hold both hands so as to create a supportive link between them.

"I am Regina Mills, I feel... anxious, I want...acceptance, I love...how you are with Henry." 

The doctor smiled taking down notes and then directed his attention to the blonde, "and now Emma." 

"I am Emma Swan, I feel...Lost, I want...clarity, I love.... Emma paused longer this time not quite sure of what to say. She was torn between what sounded like an appropriate answer and what she thought Regina would want to hear. Then it just came out, "your scar." 

Regina stared back into the blonde's eyes the surprise as well as her distrust of the statement was evident on her face. Since she received the scar decades ago it had been a constant source of self consciousness which she knew Emma was well aware of.

"Alright good, our time is up but next week I would like to address the reasons you both chose the words you did as well as ways to overcome your feelings of anxiousness and loss, and if you are both amiable to the idea I would like it if you could bring your son in for a session." 

"What, why? This is supposed to be about Emma and myself," Regina said becoming a protective mother bear.

"I suggested using relationship builders in the past, now I think it might be beneficial for him to talk about his understanding of what is going on, from what I understand he has inserted himself into your relationship quite a bit. A flowing family unit is just as important as a flowing marriage, it might be helpful to engage in a little family counseling. If you would prefer to leave him out of this all that is fine but I do highly recommend at least discussing the idea with him." 

"Thank you, we will think it over and let you know." Emma said quickly wanting to get Regina out of the office at the risk of the doctor's safety.

        Dinner out had since become a post counseling ritual and the two women discussed the matter of Henry's involvement with their therapy sessions the entire drive to the restaurant, Emma's earlier comment all but forgotten.

"I just don't see why we have to involve him more than what is necessary." 

You remember how he blew up at us," **at me** she thought to herself, "when we took him out a few weeks ago. It might be good for him to talk to someone."

"He can talk to us." 

Of course he **can** , but we have to start acknowledging that Henry is getting older and he won't always be willing to, especially when his problem's have to do with us." 

  Regina squirmed in her seat clearly unhappy with Emma's last statement. "I don't think he should be hearing some of the things we talk about during sessions." 

"I know, but legally the doctor can not tell him anything we don't want him to know about and it might make Henry feel better to know that the same goes for whatever he tells him."

"Maybe you are right," Regina relented. "It was probably a good idea for Henry to speak to a neutral party or at least a neutral party that has higher than a sixth grade education. We will have to make sure he is completely comfortable." 

"Of course, that is the number one priority."  Emma said reaching for the other woman's hand only pulling away when they arrived at Dos Caminos.

With the prospect of Henry joining them in counseling resolved for the time being Regina once again thought of what Emma had said. She had wanted to broach the subject of what Emma had said about her scar all night, but every time she tried the brunette could not seem to find her voice. She eventually gave up trying and instead pulled the bright blue piece of paper from her purse, handing it over to the blonde to inspect.

"Carlo's dance academy," she read aloud.

"I checked they have couples classes on Thursday nights."

"You want us to take dance lessons," she laughed.

Regina did not appear as amused as Emma. "No, I am sorry I wasn't laughing at you it is just that it is something I never would have picked for you," she smiled.

"Why not?" 

"I don't know, I guess I always figured that dancing would have been covered in those debutante cotillion things your mother had you in. Which you always told me you hated." 

"Well maybe my annoyance came from the company I was forced to keep at the time. And look first lesson free with a flyer." 

"If it is something you really want to do then let's do it." 

"You really mean that." 

"Yea, I do," she smiled again just as their food arrived.

       Later that night when they walked into the apartment they found their son in the same position that they had left him in earlier that evening. Poor Henry, much like his birth mother the boy was endowed with snow white skin that was left bright red barely seventy two hours into his summer vacation.

"How are you feeling sweetheart," asked Regina staring at the boy sprawled out on the bathroom floor a cold wet towel draped over him. He merely grunted in response to which she smiled sympathetically.

"Come on, clean up this water and I will rub some aloe vera on your back." 

He rose from the floor sopping up the puddles of water as he did and then sat down on the edge of the bath tub.

"So, you know how the past few weeks your mother and I have been seeing a specialist," Regina stated as she squeezed a sizable amount of blue gel in the palm of her hand.

"Every Monday for over a month," he replied as he began to rub the gel from his own hand onto his sunburned chest.

"Right. Well the doctor...

"Dr. Vogelsang?" interrupted Henry.

"Yes, Dr. Vogelsang. He thought since we are all trying to be a little more open with each other that maybe you would like to come in for a session or two." 

He said nothing.

"I was against the idea at first but now both Emma and I think that it might be a good for you to be able to get out some of the things you may have been bottling up."

"He won't be able to tell us anything you don't want us to know," she added quickly hoping to persuade him.

"Are you making me go? "

"No," she said as she started to leave the bathroom. "This is your decision but I really do hope you say yes." 

By the time Regina walked into their bedroom Emma was dressed and ready for bed.

 "Did you talk to him? "

"I did." 

"And? "

"He said he would think it over, although right now all he seems interested in is sitting in front of the fan," she smirked.

"I really do think this will be good for him," she said reassuringly.

"I hope so." Feeling more relaxed as she climbed into bed she once again tried to bring up the subject of what Emma had said during their counseling session.

"Emma? " **Ask her, ask her, ASK HER. "** Goodnight." **Damn it.**

**"** Goodnight," Emma replied peacefully unaware of her wife's internal struggle. **_  
_ **


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT

**Ten Weeks Earlier**

       It had not been as painful of a realization as one would have thought it would have been, more empty than anything. Looking at her wife and feeling absolutely nothing, Emma was an integral part of her life to be sure, but the same could be said for her secretary. No, the emotional connection that should be there, that had once been there, was nowhere to be found. They had gotten into another fight, by this point she had lost count of how many it had made, but this time it was different, this time she had done something reprehensible. She had accused Emma of never loving her, that their entire relationship was based upon a lie and worse yet that the blonde was only with her because she had regretted giving up Henry and being with her was the easiest way to get him back. That had been the straw that broke the camel's back, Emma looked at her as if she had been slapped in the face, the hurt and betrayal to much too handle apparently because before Regina knew it the blonde was out the door. It was now two days later and Emma had finally returned wearing the same clothes as she had been the day she left but was freshly showered.

"Regina," the blonde solemnly greeted.

"Emma," the brunette nodded back.

"Is Henry around ?" She asked crossing her arms gaurdingly.

"No, I dropped him off at the library an hour ago. Can I get you a coffee?"  She asked unsure of any other way to begin the conversation.

"No. Thank you, but I don't think I am going to be staying long." 

That however did send a pang to the brunette's heart. "Please, we have to talk."  

Regina was met only with a stoney glare and angry silence.

"I...I'm sorry. For what I said. I was angry and it was highly uncalled for."

"Yea it was," she said unrelentingly but moving to sit next to the other woman on the couch. "Do you actually think I would do that to you? That I could be so callous and manipulative?" 

"I know I shouldn't," confessed Regina. "It's just that...sometimes I get this small voice in my head and no matter how much I want to avoid it... it keeps telling me to look for ulterior motives in people's actions." 

"Regina, not everyone in the world is scheming to get what they want?" 

"What's wrong with me?"  She said barely above a whisper. "I am angry, angry all the time it seems, and it's making me crazy." 

"It's not just you. I think...we might need some time apart, just for a little while, she added quickly. To get our heads straight." 

"Where will you go?"

"I called my contact he has a runner down in Maryland, he says he could use someone with my brand of justice, she said trying to lighten the mood, but it was to no effect. I shouldn't be out of New York too terribly long."

The brunette nodded not able to make eye contact with the other woman

"I'll wait until Henry gets back to say goodbye."

"And will you be coming back here when you return?"

"I don't know," she said sadly making her way towards their bedroom to pack a bag.

****

**Present Day**

       Emma and Henry sat on the couch together watching King Louie dance around on the television screen. Henry was beginning to peel but still preferred to stay inside with the cool relief of air conditioning as opposed to the harsh Summer heat.

"I am heading out to the loft in NoHo for a little while," called out Regina

"Are you sure you don't want to stay and watch the movie with us?" Asked Emma.

"You mean the movie that tells people about how good it is to stay with your own kind made during one of the heights of the civil rights movement? I think I'll pass.* Happiest place on earth my eye, that man was a racist and misogynist."

"Yea, but most white men from that era were." 

"He didn't even draw the damn mouse, it was Ub Iwerks. The man was a complete tactless talentless fraud," she stated matter of factly.

"Hmm, you always did prefer Margaret Brundage didn't you?" The blonde said smirking.

Regina rolled her eyes but smiled, "I'll see you both later." 

"What was that about?!" Asked Henry after his mother left, clearly amused by Regina's mini rant.

Emma's only reply was to burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

        Regina sat in the bare living area of the upscale loft drawing out sketches of ideas for the far wall. While debating whether an abstract painting or a tapestry would look better she was startled by a loud bang. Knowing she was the only one in the apartment she cautiously made her way towards the bedroom where the noise had originated from. Carefully opening the door she peeked inside, a window that she could have sworn had been closed earlier that afternoon was now open. While berating herself for being a horror movie stereotype Regina stepped further into the room to investigate. Slowly making her way to the window she glanced outside, the latter of the fire escape had not been drawn down so no one could have climbed up and broken in she thought logically.

**Stop being paranoid** , she told herself locking the window. **The wind must have blown the door shut.**

"Regina?" The brunette let out a surprised yelp.

"Walsh? uhg, you scared the hell out of me." 

"Sorry," the fawn color haired man replied chuckling. "I didn't realize anyone else was still here. I was just walking by and saw the lights on, I thought maybe some kids had broken in. What are you doing out here at this hour?" He asked double checking his watch.

"Just trying to get a little work done, it was quiet here," she smiled.

"Life with a boy huh?" 

"Exactly. What about you, what were you doing out here so late? "

He held up a brown paper bag that was letting out a heavenly aroma.

Oh, well don't let me stop you.

A"re you hungry?" he asked pulling a napkins from his pocket, "I have plenty of pot stickers and Szechuan chicken if you want some." 

As if by magic Regina's stomach decided to let out an undignified rumbling sound at that very moment and she gladly accepted. They ate dinner and chatted for an hour or so bonding over their mutual dislike of their Carnegie Hill client and other things of similarity. Regina had been talking uncharacteristically animated about a painting when she felt Walsh lean into her, his lips were millimeters away from her own. Regina could feel his hot breath against her face and at least thought she could hear the man's rapidly beating heart and just as she felt his lips barely brush against her's she swiftly turned away.

"I'm married," she said quickly. **Damn it, I knew I should have never let this go on as long as I did.**

"I'm sorry?" He said confused, "I thought you said that you and Henry's father were not together." 

"Well that wasn't exactly a lie," she answered meekly. "I am not with Henry's father, in fact I have never even met his father. His mother on the other hand...

"Oh...oh!" 

"Yea." 

"Please forgive me, he rushed out. I clearly misread the situation and completely understand if you are firing me," he said beginning to head for the door.

"No! No, I am not going to fire you. I realized you were interested awhile back and did nothing to stop it, I don't know exactly why. It's just that things at home, they have been... really tough lately and I guess I got caught up in your attention. I apologize for misleading you but I do very much enjoy our conversations and hope we can still be friends." 

"Okay. "

_"_ Okay? That is it, you don't want to scold me or call me a tease or anything?" She asked in disbelief that Walsh could be _that_ perfect of a guy. 

"No." He said surprise on his face. "Why, does she do that to you?" He asked becoming angry.

"No, no of course not." She said defensively.

"Well, what is going on then? "

Regina did not answer but instead focused on her feet.

"Come on, we are _still_ friends. You can tell me anything, everything if you need to." 

"Well," Regina started. "We have been going to counseling....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Walt Disney's Grandniece Agrees With Meryl Streep: He Was A Racist. By Scott Feinberg, January 15, 2014.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT or Mad Men.

_"Oh when I called her evil she just laughed. And cast that spell on me..._ Emma continued to sing along with her Ipod while vacuuming up stray bits of popcorn unbeknownst to her though was that she had an audience. Regina stood near the door and watched the blonde's movements transfixed by the other woman's smooth voice. **Emma is a lovely singer** **it is a shame she does not do it more, or perhaps I have just not been listening.** If they were going to do that I feel I love thing in therapy again it was definitely something she would mention. Emma was more than half way through the song before she realized that Regina was watching her, smiling at the brunette she pulled the buds from her ears.

"Hey, how was your night?" 

"Productive, how about you? "

"Productive," she said mimicking her wife's tone. "I think Henry is starting to ease back into his old excitable self."  While the boy now believed his ma about never having cheated on his mom their relationship had become a little off balance. Whether those feelings came from growing pains or something else Emma was unsure but tonight had proven that they could still pal around like old times with just the two of them. Which included an absurd amount of sugar that always ended in mother and son making a pact that Regina would never find out about.

"That is good to hear," she said kicking of her heels and collapsing on the couch exhaustively.

"Are you hungry, there is leftover spaghetti in the fridge if you want some." 

"No, Walsh showed up with Chinese and we ended up eating at the loft," she said flipping on the television to find, the first and in her mind superior, Bobby Draper on screen. Fiddling with her thumbs and trying to pay attention to the program Regina made a very important decision. While everything that had occurred with Walsh after the almost kiss had been innocent and friendly she thought it best that there not be secrets between her and the blonde. 

"Emma will you come sit down with me please?" 

"What's wrong?" Asked the blonde confusion creasing her forehead.

"I have to tell you something, something that happened tonight and I don't know how you will react." 

Emma uncomfortably began to fidget in her seat anticipating the worst thing imaginable coming from her wife's mouth.

"When you left for Maryland a few months ago I think I...we, were at our lowest possible point in our relationship. I felt very unlovable and given some of my more regrettable words even the idea of loving myself became a hard concept to grasp." 

Having grown up in the foster system, self loathing and depression stemming from the belief she was unlovable, were all too familiar feelings for the blonde. Emma saddened by the brunette's despairing revelation grasped the other woman's hand and urged her to continue.

  "Then when you came back home, I was relieved, I thought that us trying to get our marriage back on track meant that the feelings of loneliness and self loathing would magically go away, but they didn't. The counseling has helped immensely," she clarified. "I feel better about myself and our relationship, but when I was feeling particularly low about not having a quick fix, I may have subconsciously encouraged...something." 

"Emma," she gripped the blonde's hand tightly. "Tonight at dinner...Walsh attempted to kiss me." 

The action was immediate Emma pulled her hand from Regina's as if she had been burned and shot up from the couch. She kept her back to the other woman as she was not able to look her in the eyes.

"I turned away before it happened, I promise," she said pleadingly. "Then I told him about you." 

"He didn't know about me before?"  She asked attempting to keep her voice from cracking in pain.

"No," she said. Emma could hear the shame in her voice. "Whenever we would talk about my home life I would stick to stories about Henry and being a mother."

"Why?" she asked finally turning around.

The brunette shrugged sadly, "I was lonely and I guess he came along and said all the right things. Things that I had wanted to hear from you."

Emma let out a despondent sigh before rejoining her wife on the couch.

"I didn't initially plan on not telling him about you, but after awhile so much time had passed that  I became more self conscious that I hadn't brought you up yet and by then it just became easier to avoid talking to him about you." 

"Did you want to kiss him?"  The blonde feared the other woman's answer. Emma remembered her week in Maryland as much as Regina did, she too had felt the grip on her heart caused by the absence of her family and sitting in a hotel room all those months ago Emma had decided to return to New York a fighter. However, if Regina was not willing to fight for their relationship as well there truly was no hope for it and the possibility of that loneliness returning became all too real.

"I stopped him," replied the brunette.

"I didn't ask if it happened Regina. I asked if you wanted to kiss him?" 

Regina stayed silent for a moment truly pondering her answer, she thought back to what she felt for Emma the night of their date at the pool, their shared meals, and all that had been revealed in the nearly two months of therapy sessions, and there it was plain as day. She loved Emma. They certainly had a long way to go before things returned to what they used to be but for the first time Regina was convinced that they would make it through. 

"No. No I did not want to kiss him," she said gripping the blonde's hand again and giving a teary eyed smile before she pressed her full lips against her wife's.

And to her utter delight Emma kissed her back bringing her hand up to lightly stroke the older woman's cheek. They pulled apart but never broke contact with each other both reveling in the tingling sensation that they felt on their lips. 

"You've been eating chocolate," said Regina smiling just before bringing her lips once again to the blonde's **.  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Black No. 1 by Type O Negative, Bloody Kisses,1993 Roadrunner Records.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT.

       Regina and Emma lied on the couch in a similar position to what they had been in while on the inflatable boat. Regina had long since fallen asleep listening to Emma's heart beat but the blonde was still wide awake despite the lateness of the hour. Confused by the turn of events that had taken place earlier that evening the blonde quietly pondered over what exactly the kiss had meant. The more vindictive side of Emma tried to convince herself that Regina had kissed her only so she could distract her from the Walsh problem. A thought that immediately made the blonde feel guilty. **The kiss had been nice,** she admitted to herself and she wanted so much to believe that Regina had kissed her out of true affection. She brushed a dark lock from the other her face and stared at the peaceful woman resting against her chest, **this is a manipulation, nothing about this life is real,** the voice of doubt returned. **STOP!** She shouted in her head. **She asked for your forgiveness.** **This is real and Regina loves you, stop being ridiculous and stop trying to sabotage your relationship**. She told herself desperate to remove the toxic thoughts. **The kiss was nice,** her mind repeated once again, **I could lean down and do it again if I wanted.** She stared down at the brunette's full red lips, **is it rude to kiss someone while they are asleep?** The brunette's tongue darted out across her lips causing Emma to mimic the action and wet her own **, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen**. She felt Regina stir in her sleep and press herself deeper into her side mewling slightly which made the blonde to smile. Emma settled for pressing her lips to the other woman's forehead, **this is where you are meant to be,** she still had her reservations about Walsh for sure but she was finally able to relax against her wife and fall asleep.

       The following morning Regina woke up on the couch alone and while well rested her back was stiff due to the too soft cushions that did not properly support her spine. She briefly wondered what had happened to Emma when she heard the tell tale clanking of cookware in the kitchen.

"Good morning," said the brunette as she rose from the couch stretching out her sore spine.

 "Hey," she said while plating an omelette and setting it out for the other woman. "I got an early lead so I can't stay long but I wanted to talk about last night." 

Regina became nervous as she sat down at the counter. She had been under the assumption that they had both enjoyed their kisses last night, but perhaps she was mistaken.

"Relax it is just a talk," said the blonde as she fiddled with the item inside of her pocket. Despite only running on four hours of sleep Emma had woken up and made her way to the corner drug store to buy it for this very conversation.

The older woman quietly poked at her breakfast with a fork waiting for the younger to begin.

"Regina. I thought a lot about what happened last night and I realized that I don't want to be angry about  you not telling Walsh about me and I certainly don't want it to destroy all the progress we have made over the last couple of months. So I accept your apology and I am going to forgive you."

Regina sighed in relief a smile gracing her face.

"I do have a few conditions though," she said as she watched the brunette lean in curiously.

"First of all, from here on out we make it clear to anyone who might be interested that we are not available." 

"Second I want you to introduce me to Walsh." 

Emma trusted that Regina would have done a thorough background check before hiring on any employee, but for all Emma knew the man could be some sort of pervert and she wanted to scope him out herself.

 "And lastly," she said pulling the small canister from the pocket of her jacket, "I want you to keep this on you."

 "Mace," Regina stated.

 "You were out late by yourself last night and even though you said Walsh stopped, it got me thinking about if you had a run in with someone who wouldn't. So I want you to clip these to your keys and if you want I will teach you how to use my gun then maybe we can talk about you getting your own conceal and carry."

Regina nodded her agreement of Emma's conditions which surprised the blonde, she had been expecting more of a fight from her wife but instead the blonde went unchallenged.

"So everything else about last night it was...alright? "Asked the brunette tentatively.

"Yes," Emma smiled, "I like being able to kiss you again." She glanced at the clock, I have to get going now but I will pick you up tonight.

"Tonight?" Asked Regina furrowing her brow.

 "Yea, Thursday night remember? Couples classes at Carlo's you said you wanted to go."

The brunette answered with a toothy grin.

"Make sure to wear comfortable shoes," she smiled at the other woman before making her way out the door.

****

  **The Enchanted Forest**

****

       The royals and their entourage sat amongst each other discussing what actions to take upon the Wicked Witch of the West.

"I say we fight!" Shouted the prince many at the round table nodding their agreement.

"With what?" asked Grumpy. "I have been to Blue, Tink, all the fairies, in hopes of finding some sort of magical object and I got zilch. It figures the one time we actually need the queen and she isn't here."

"I can't believe that this is happening again, I am pregnant and an evil sorceress is threatening the life of my child." 

"Well, in all fairness to Regina, she was only threatening you just before the dark curse, Emma and everyone else just became collateral damage," chirped Jiminy through his bull horn.

"Tell me again, why are we consulting the cricket on battle strategies?" Asked Grumpy.

Just as the small monocled insect was about to answer the cackling green witch flew into the room on her broom. The heroes all jumped to attention ready for the attack they were certain was about to take place.

"Am I in time for tea?" Asked Zelena melodically waving her hand as a rush of green light came forth freezing them all in their place.

She made her way towards Snow, "Don't be frightened dear I am not here for your baby, not today at least," the green witch said softly as she reached to press her hand against the woman's stomach which was now beginning to show signs of the child growing inside.

Though they were all paralyzed Snow could feel the clearly dangerous but almost reverent way the other woman caressed her stomach. She was suddenly flooded with a memory of Regina doing the exact same action upon her while she had been carrying Emma.

"Yes this will do nicely," she grinned.

Snow White tried desperately to move, to strike out, to kick, to just do something to get the Wicked Witch away from her, but it was to no avail. Snow stood there frozen in place unable to do anything about the threatening situation.

"Oh don't look so pensive," laughed the red head. "Look at it this way, how many people can claim that they have given birth to two saviors in their lifetime. The only difference is while your first child was your savior, this one...this one is mine. So you be sure to get lots of rest and all essential fats and proteins in your diet, we want our little bundle to grow big and strong, don't we?"

Zelena removed her hand from her rival's stomach and made her way around the table inspecting each member of their group before finally resting her eyes upon David.

"I suppose I see the allure," she said running a finely manicured finger down the man's torso.

"Oh and if you and the little wifey here were worried about how your dear precious daughter was fairing out there without you, you need not. I have one of my minions taking good care of her," she laughed. 

The anger rose into David's chest and his hand itched to grab the hilt of his sword so he could just quickly end the witch's existence, but still he remained frozen.

"Not to mention my sister, from the way I hear it, she is taking exceptionally good care of sweet Emma," Zelena said lecherously. "Although I suppose once I have hold of Regina's heart that will no longer be an issue, will it?"

"Toodles," she crowed while mounting her broom and making her way out from the same window she had come in through.

        It seemed like hours before they were finally found by Belle who frantically went in search of the Blue Fairy so that she could free her friends from their paralysis, but the relief felt by their new found freedom did not last long. Belle had returned with news that Neal was dead or at least absorbed by his father, she was not completely sure due to Zelena taking control of the Dark One's dagger before she fully understood what had happened.

"Did she give any hint or let slip anything that might tell us what she plans on doing with Rumple?" Asked Belle.

"We were all a little too preoccupied with the witch making threats toward the baby to figure out what she has been doing with your boyfriend," snapped Grumpy.

 "I am sorry no," said Snow ignoring the dwarf's comment. Then a realization dawned on her, "but she did let slip that she was going to take Regina's heart. Our baby, Regina's heart, and Rumplestiltskin she collecting ingredients."

"Ingredients for what, what is she trying to do?" Asked David to no one in particular.

"Blue?"

"I'm unsure," said the small fairy. "But if what Zelena says about having a contact in a world without magic is true that means she may already have a way of crossing the realms."

Snow reached out for her husband. "David, Henry and Emma are out there right now and have no idea that they are even in any kind of danger." 

"From what it sounds like she is only looking for Regina maybe once that happens she will leave them alone."

The prince's words did not comfort his wife, in fact they made her feel worse from the guilt that came after realizing she had overlooked her former step mother's safety after a clear threat had been made.

Then another memory resurfaced in Snow's mind. Zelena had said that Regina was taking good care of Emma, **What had she meant by that?** Thought the blonde's concerned mother. Surely she was not hinting at Regina and Emma having... **No that could not be possible, could it?** She thought back to their time in Neverland when both women had accepted the other's role and importance in Henry's life. **Regina and Emma had called him** ** _their_ son, they had formed at least some type of bond while there perhaps the same could be said for the world without magic. **

The raven haired woman was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Belle speak again.

"I'll head to the library and start searching for spells that include hearts and infants, hopefully I can narrow it down to a few before she strikes again." 

"Are there really that many?" Asked David gravely.

"You would be surprised," answered Belle as she started her trek to her former residence, recalling the time she stopped Rumple from using the child of Jack and Jill.

Snow turned into her husband's embrace again overcome with worry at the thought of her endangered family.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT

**Took Henry to Avery's for the night, on my way now. :)**

 

       Regina had been staring at the text from her wife for a few minutes now and was debating whether to tell the other woman she would meet her outside or to invite her up. Emma had asked her to introduce her to Walsh and while she had every intention of keeping her promise to the blonde it had barely been twenty hours since the man had made a pass at her and she was not sure if the meeting should happen this soon. Much like her conversation with her wife about the almost kiss Regina decided to nip it in the bud and typed her answer.

****

**Ok, the door is unlocked.**

 

       Thirty five minutes later Emma stepped out of her yellow bug and threw on her red leather jacket before making her way up the porch steps, double checking the address before letting herself in.

"Regina," she called out passing a muscular man in a tool belt and a head of hair that Samson would be jealous of. **Please don't let that be Walsh** , she silently pleaded.

"In the kitchen," muscle god said nodding his head in its general direction.

The blonde walked into a kitchen that had been gutted of its appliances and found her wife talking with a tall lanky man when she made eye contact with the brunette she visibly tensed. **That must be him** , thought Emma

The brunette shyly smiled at her wife signaling that she would not be interrupting anything of importance. The blonde quickly walked over to Regina and greeted her with her lips and putting her arm around the other woman's waist before turning to the limp haired man. Regina was surprised to say the least by Emma's actions. It had been the first time in she was unsure how long that her wife had greeted her with a kiss and all she could do was attempt to appear as normal as possible.

"Hi, Emma Swan," she said with a broad welcoming smile and her hand held out.

The man clearly caught off guard by the public display of affection recovered quickly and stuck out his own hand to meet the blonde woman's.

"Good name," he replied. "Walsh Zauberer, nice to meet you."

The fact that that exact line had once been uttered by Neal did not help her to trust this man, but still Emma set her feet, puffed out her chest, and gripped the man's hand probably a bit more forcefully than what was needed. **I could definitely take him,** she thought satisfiedly to herself as she looked the man over noticing a deep scar on the side of the his neck.

 "So _my wife_ tells me you are a carpenter."

 "Yea, mostly furniture but the occasional detailing work."

"So, no little puppet sons running around making mischief then?" She asked while giving a fake laugh.

"No I am afraid not," he said giving what appeared to be an equally fake smile in return. "What about you? Regina mentioned you are a pretty talented bail bondsman."

"Bail bondsperson, but yea, Emma Swan always finds her man."

"Finds her person, you mean."

They once again gave each other matching sardonic smiles.

"That looks like it hurt," she said gesturing towards her own neck.

"Oh," he chuckled bringing his fingertips to the uneven skin. "Yes, that is the result of an unavoidable workplace hazard I am afraid."

"Is that right?" She said as politely as was possible. Emma had used her super power and while the man had not been lying something in the way he said it had the blonde on edge.

Regina held out for as long as possible but could no longer take watching the stand off between the two. "We should get going before we are late."

"She is right, I dropped _our_ son off at a friend's for the night and we made plans," the blonde said reaching for Regina's hand without ever breaking eye contact with the man.

"Well I hope you have an enjoyable evening," he said turning his attention towards the brunette.

"And you as well," replied Emma.

The man watched as the women left the building hand in hand a wicked smile plastered on his face. Without realizing it the progeny of Snow White and Prince Charming had just revealed an exploitable flaw and he hoped his mistress would be pleased with him.

****

Forward, back, cross, together. Forward, back, cross, together. The dance instructor continued to repeat, tonight they were being taught the Cumbia and aside from a few stepped on toes Emma thought they were doing pretty well. Regina was leading and while nervous and unsteady at first seemed to be truly enjoying herself. She liked seeing Regina relaxed and happy, she liked seeing her with a genuine smile on her face. There were twelve other couples in the class three of whom had introduced themselves to Emma and Regina. Edwin and Leah, who were taking the classes to prepare for their upcoming wedding, seemed to be having an equal amount of difficulty with the Latin dance but did not seem to care either. The only phrase that came to Emma's mind was dance like no one is watching, and indeed they were she smiled.

"They look like they are going to make it," Regina stated sweetly.

"Yea, at that stage of the relationship you feel like you can take on anything."

Regina nodded, "Somehow though, I don't quite see Edwin in a territorial stand off with another man."

"What do you mean?" asked Emma evadingly.

"Oh please," she said rolling her eyes at the blonde. "It is ninety degrees outside and you came in with boots and that red leather jacket," she smirked. "I am surprised you didn't flash your pistol."

"I will have you know that the jacket and boots were not an intimidation tactic, it's just that I was feeling particularly butch today and those are what I pulled from the closet."

"Oh, is that right?" The brunette mimicked the blonde's earlier words in amusement.

"Yes, Yes it is. I can't be held accountable if you or _anyone else_ took it in a different manner."

"And the my wife, our son bit was what exactly?"

"Simply factual statements," she smiled.

"Look," she said finally stopping the dance, "if it makes you feel better to stand your ground a little bit then I am fine with it, just don't let it get out of hand. I told you last night, you are not in competition with anyone."

Emma simply nodded slightly embarrassed by the fact that Regina had been wise to her actions. Then again she should have known better, there was not much her wife didn't find out about.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen there is only five minutes left of class and you all know what that means, Free Dance," the instructor said switching the radio to a slower paced song.

Emma and Regina looked around at all the other couples who were bringing themselves closer to each other, hands resting on shoulders and hips. Regina hesitated for a moment before stepping in close to Emma and bringing her arms around the blonde's neck.

"You can lead this time," she said.

"Alright," Emma said as she gently placed her hands on the swell of the dark haired woman's hips.

"Thank you for doing this with me."

"Your welcome. Actually it is kind of fun, if you wanted to come back next week I wouldn't say no."

"Really."

"Absolutely, the music isn't half bad and the dancing would be good for our hearts...uh healthy for our hearts I mean," she stated quickly trying to ignore the awakening that was happening in her body while it pressed against Regina's. Then she chuckled, "Not to mention most everybody here seems real eager to make friends with the token lesbian couple."

The older woman smiled at the thought of their classmates and then leaned in close to the other woman's ear, "At least they had the good sense to stop themselves before asking which one of us wears the strap on."

Emma desperately tried to contain her laughter but just couldn't which caused a few of the other couples to glance curiously at them.

"Shh, shh," she tried to bring her down an octave or two but was having difficulty controlling her own laughter.

"You have a beautiful smile," Emma said after calming her laughter. "Really, you do."

The comment surprised her but she felt a pang in her heart and was taken back to their session with Doctor Vogelsang. **It is now or never** , she decided.

"Emma? When we were in session and you brought up my scar. Did...did you mean what you said?"

Once again reminded of her wife's insecurities, Emma reached for the brunette's face and brought it towards her own planting a kiss directly on the small imperfection. "Of course I meant it, you received it while trying to save a cat. It is proof of how loving and protective you are. How could I not love it?"

Regina gave her a watery eyed smile and let her head rest on the blonde's shoulder remaining that way throughout the rest of the song.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT. Allusions to the episode A Curious Thing.

        Regina Mills' eyes fluttered open taking in her surroundings as she slowly crept into consciousness. A ceiling fan circling directly above her, a framed school photo of her son, Henry, to her right, and the weight of her sleeping wife's body as it pressed against her own on her left. The brunette woman glanced at the clock that had yet to go off, 8:13 am Monday July 1st. It was Monday, she repeated to herself, Monday July 1st the Monday July the 1st she had anxiously been waiting for. What had otherwise been a very pleasant weekend had become complicated when Henry had informed his mothers that he would indeed like to join them for a session with their therapist. The alarm began its steady beeping and taking one last look at the blonde she quickly kissed the other woman's forehead before getting out of bed to begin the day.

"Hit snooze please," the other woman muttered as she buried herself deeper into the mattress.

Regina had just finished the last of her grapefruit when she felt a pair of lips press against the back of her head.

"Morning."

"Good morning," she replied watching her wife shuffle about the kitchen. Emma had just pulled a box of blueberry poptarts out of the pantry to which Regina chose to ignore, nevermind that they had actual blueberries in the fridge. Even with therapy it seemed as if she would never switch the blonde to a wholly healthy lifestyle and she relented, they had been getting along so well lately and it simply was not worth the argument. 

"Emma?"

"Yea," she replied intensely staring at the toaster willing her breakfast to be finished toasting.

"Are you nervous? About tonight I mean."

She pulled her attention away from the stainless steel and plastic appliance focusing instead on her wife.

"A little," she nodded. "But we don't need to be," she said reassuringly.

"I know, but somehow I feel more nervous about going tonight than I did our first time."

"Hmm, I don't recall you being nervous our _first time_ ," she said camouflaging her smile with a sip of her coffee cup.

The joke had its intended effect and the brunette laughed although she seemed a little embarrassed by the memory of her lack of inhibition.

Emma heard the spring of the toaster and quickly placed her breakfast on a plate burning her thumb and index finger in the process. Sitting across from the older woman Emma reached her her hand out to gently stroke the brunette's, ignoring her still sensitive thumb in favor of comforting her wife.

"As we have talked about, Henry is getting older and is starting to figure out the type of man he is going to be."

"Regina," Emma interrupted. "Henry is not even twelve yet, getting older yes, but manhood is certainly a ways off."

Taking a deep breath unsure of how the blonde would react to her next statement she pushed onward.

"It is not just about Henry. It's about Neal."

"Neal?" She asked without ever pulling her hand away.

The brunette nodded. "Neal was obviously not," Regina thought better of her statement, "was not the most attentive or altruistic of people, and while Henry is certainly no Neal, I am afraid of what him knowing the type of person his father was is doing to him."

"Neal was little more than a sperm donor for all I am concerned with, you and I are his parents. Henry knows what type of people we are and that is what is important, but trust me when I say not knowing... is a hell of a lot worse than knowing and not liking. When that boy found me, my umbilical cord was still clamped off, I couldn't have been out there for more than a few hours. The most likely story is that I was abandoned and that is inexplicably painful, but just that tiny bit of uncertainty, that possibility that something terrible happened to them or that maybe they are looking for me. It rips your heart out and I, _we_ , don't want Henry living some grand illusion about a father who doesn't even know he exists and quite frankly does not deserve to know he exists."

The last line was said with an overwhelming flow of emotion which Regina was well aware of. She crossed over to the Emma enveloping the blonde her in her arms, the conversation had started out as Regina needing Emma's consoling and ended in the reversal of roles. A role that Regina decided that she liked being able to provide for her wife, Emma trusted her again and despite the blonde being distraught over their conversation Regina could not help but feel elated. Eventually the time came for Regina to collect her things and head off to work unfortunately needing to leave the still slightly upset blonde behind. By the time Henry had woken up and made his way downstairs to make his own poptarts the blonde was hovering over the sink rinsing off the soiled plate before placing it in the dishwasher. Though no tears were present the boy could see the distinct redness and puffiness in his mother's eyes, she had been crying. Something had happened between his mothers and it had made his ma cry. **Damn it** , he thought despairingly and things had been going so well.

That evening all three members of the Swan-Mills family sat patiently in the waiting room of Dr. Vogelsang. While on the way there Henry had not uttered a single syllable which unfortunately caused the butterflies to return to both womens' stomach and when the doctor called his name both women unconsciously reached for the other's hand.

"Henry, it's nice to meet you, can I get you a drink or anything?"

He eyed the man carefully and finally shook his head no before taking a seat in the large plush chair.

"So, do you understand who I am and what you are doing here today?"

Still without an utterance Henry nodded in the affirmative.

 **Takes after his birth mother,** thought Dr.Vogelsang remembering the stoic blonde back when they first met.

"How has your summer been so far?"

Still no verbal answer.

"So, your mothers told me that they let you choose about whether or not to come here tonight. Is there any particular reason you chose the session?"

The boy sighed and looked around the office still not ready to talk about his recent home life  with a complete stranger.

"Is this really from Germany?" He asked picking up the blue stein attempting to stall any type of personal conversation from happening.

"Yes, my wife and I bought it while on a trip to Hesse."

Henry ran his fingers across the carved woman, Hesse, that is where the headless horseman was supposed to be from right?

The doctor laughed, "That's right. Do you like folk lore?"

He shrugged, "they are alright I guess."

"I know I always did because I was interested in how the stories changed over time. Usually you would start out with one thing and as time wore on things were added or taken away leaving a different but still enjoyable tale."

 **Subtle** , thought Henry rolling his eyes which did not go unnoticed by the doctor.

"You know Henry anything you might want to talk about doesn't have to go beyond you and me. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, not even your moms."

He thought for a moment and then rushed out a question, "Are they getting a divorce?"

The older man gave a sympathetic smile, "I am sorry Henry but I can not answer that question but without being very specific I can tell you that they both have expressed a desire to better themselves and have made excellent progress so far."

Henry seemed dissatisfied with his answer.

"They told me about the breakfast you made them," that got the boy's attention. "That was a really nice thing to do Henry."

"Do you think it helped?" He asked nervously.

"I think they appreciated it very much and it would be a nice gesture to do in the future too."

He finally smiled at the doctor but it was short lived when the man began to speak again.

"But Henry it is not your responsibility to keep them together, you know that right? Ultimately that is on Regina and Emma." Henry made a face that was half disbelief and half petulance.

"It will change everything, he said sadly slumping in his chair. There will be custody battles, different houses, and only two place settings at holidays at least until a new and unwanted third setting is added."

The boy was becoming angry a common response for many children who are caught either in the middle or on the sidelines of their parents problems.

"Why don't we talk about some of the things that you are worried might happen if your mothers were to break up, then if you are okay with it we can talk to them and perhaps they can put your mind at ease."

He thought for a moment before nodding his approval and decided to begin with what he had seen that morning.

       Regina checked her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time, Henry had been in their for over a half hour. "What do you think they are talking about?" Asked the brunette.

"I don't know," said the blonde. Every movie Emma had ever seen about therapy would start out with _Tell me about your mother_ and the fact that the only reason they were here today was solely because of her and Regina did not instill confidence in the blonde. The only slight nervousness that she had hypocritically told her wife not to worry about had since turned into a heavy pit in her stomach.

Regina started searching through her purse for a piece of gum or a mint in hopes of distracting herself, but before she could the office door opened revealing Dr. Vogelsang.

"Regina Emma you can join us now," he said.

Both women shot up embarrassingly quickly, eager to check on their son's emotional well being.

When they walked into the office they found the boy sitting down seemingly unphased by his talk with the doctor.

"Now, Henry and I have discussed a few things and he would like to address some of them with the two of you."

All three adults looked at him expectantly Henry was beginning to feel like a caged animal at the zoo. Forever being gawked at in the hopes he would do something interesting or cute.

"First of all, I am sorry for going through your private things, all those weeks ago". He made sure to clarify to his mothers that he had only searched through their computer that single time." I was confused as to why you guys were keeping secrets from me and just wanted answers. I am also sorry for acting so bratty after I found...what I found, but I was so angry at you and didn't know what else to do."

Regina reached for the boy's hand hoping the boy understood that she could never stay too angry at him for that long.

For the last twenty minutes he and his mothers had discussed possible ways to encourage Henry's self esteem and how to better express emotions such as anger and anxiety so as not to end with another Todd Copperman incident. Walking out of the doctor's office Henry felt surprisingly light, he was not sure of what exactly he was expecting when he told his mothers he wanted to go tonight but certainly not this feeling. He made sure to put the business card the doctor had given him, incase of emergencies, in a safe spot in his wallet right behind his Sam Parrilla baseball card and happily raced down the steps of the building onto the sidewalk.

"Hey kid, you hungry?" His ma asked feeling relieved and happy herself. "Anywhere you want to go tonight and we'll do it."

"Really? Action Burger!?" He asked excitedly.

"Absolutely," she smiled and then reached her hand out to Regina, "come on I will buy you something healthy off the _Hero's Menu_."

Despite the fact that he was running towards the bug ahead of his mothers it did not escape his attention that they were walking hand in hand which left him with a smile for the rest of the night.

****

**Enchanted Forest**

****

       Snow and David stood outside the phantom doorway at the edge of the Dark Forest, the doorway that was supposed to bring them to Glinda the former Good Witch of the South now banished to the North.

"I don't get it, where is she?"

Snow looked down at the snowbell that her husband had plucked for her only minutes before and repeated what at the time seemed like a mindless rhyme from Rumplestiltskin.

"Through the door step inside, if pure of heart then she won't hide," she smiled before throwing open the door and racing into the abyss

"Snow!" The man shouted at his now absent wife frantically looking around before racing in after her.

They were met on the other side with the eerie silence and isolation of the snowy mountain tops.

"Hello," the raven haired beauty called out. "Is anyone there?"

A vortex of silver sparkles appeared, so unlike Regina's cloud of dark purple smoke, revealing a tall blonde enchantress.

Snow White puffed out her chest, or as least as much as she could past her very pregnant stomach, and stepped towards the other woman. "My name is Sno...

"I am aware of who you are," she said without a hint of harshness. "There is not many who can pass through my doorway but you possess not one pure heart but two, one of whom will possess great magic themselves."

The woman's words surprised David he was reminded of his and Snow's shameful decision to ensure Emma's purity at the expense of Maleficent's child and it was rather a relief to know that his son would not have the eternal struggle that their first born was destined to face.

"We were told that you were the key to defeating Zelena," he said.

The white witch smiled sympathetically at them, "The key, no unfortunately my magic has never been strong enough to combat hers, but I do have the answers you seek."

"Long ago before Zelena became the Wicked Witch we were friends, she myself and two others acted as wardens over the land of Oz, in taking on that responsibility I gifted her a pendant and her magic has resided in it ever since."

"So if we get the pendant from her she becomes powerless."

"Her's has always been a raw and natural talent I fear that simply removing the pendant will not be enough to defeat her. Only the most powerful of light magic has any chance of taking her down."

"And that is...

"Why love of course."

"Which means the only way of stopping her is Emma, who we have no way of getting to," she said despondently.

"If this Emma is as powerful as you say she is then it is imperative that you get in contact her."

"We can't the magic that brought us all back to the Enchanted Forest also cut off our contact with the other realms there is no way back for anyone the original curse brought back."

"That's it, the original curse", David spoke up. "That is our answer. We need to get back to our daughter and in order to do that we need to enact a second Dark Curse," the man said gravely.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT.

       Henry slid open the living room window and reached out to wedge the small flag into its holder just like the hundreds of other apartments he could see were doing as well. It was the Fourth of July and Red, White, and Blue tapered the streets for as far as the eye could see. He inhaled deeply at the delicious scent coming from the kitchen, his mom was making apple empanadas, because according to her, while the apple pie was certainly a staple of American culture, it was also a bit cliche and played out. Henry eyed a cooling rack that had several finished treats resting on it already and while his mom's back was turned Henry slinked over and swiped one of them attempting to scurry off before she noticed, but the moment his foot touched the first step he heard it.

"Henry!"

**Damn it, how does she always know?** He turned around with a guilty look on his face.

Regina merely quirked her eyebrow at him. "At the table please," she smiled turning to grab a bowl and an ice cream scooper.

He smiled and did as he was asked, sitting down just in time for the bowl of vanilla to be placed in front of him. Regina joined her son at the table, smiling as she watched him bring one of the two spoons to his mouth before taking another bite of the empanada.

"Careful Henry, you don't want to choke do you?" She asked before bringing her own spoonful to her mouth.

Just as the two were finishing up the rare treat the door opened and a tired looking Emma waltzed in after a full night's work.

"Hi," said the boy.

"Morning", she managed to mumble out before reaching into the fridge to pull out a bottle of orange juice.

"Good afternoon," Regina corrected but not unkindly. "Did you catch the guy?" She asked rising to rinse her and Henry's bowl.

"No, but I will," Emma answered slightly annoyed at the night's failure. Every time she thought she was close the dirt bag found some way to evade her but once she caught him, oh how sweet the satisfaction would be.

"What time do we have to be there tonight?" Asked the blonde.

"Six thirty," Regina answered. Being a holiday their weekly dance class had been canceled in favor of more festive activities and they would be joining some of their classmates instead for a party.

"What about you kid?" She asked, knowing that Henry was joining some friends from school for the fireworks.

"Mom said she would drop me off once she is done," he said gesturing towards the frying pan.

"Well if I am not needed then I am going to try and get a few hours of sleep before the party," the blonde said checking her watch and gulping down the last bit of juice. "Will you wake me up when it is time to get ready?"

Regina having returned to her empanadas mindlessly nodded.

"Everything smells wonderful," the younger woman smiled before leaning in and capturing the other woman's lips, embarrassing a still present Henry in the process.

****

**The Enchanted Forest**

       "This is the most vile of all curses, are you sure this is what you want to do?" Asked the blue fairy who had expanded to a full sized human.

"We have to it is the only way to get back to a land without magic," said David.

"We're certain of this right? There is absolutely no other way?" Snow asked Blue, looking desperate for the head fairy to give her an alternative to her question.

She only shook her head.

"David," she said fear and despair in her eyes. "I don't think I will be able to do this, our son needs you. What will I tell him when he asks where his father is?"

"You will tell him that I loved him so much that I was willing to die just to ensure that he could grow up safe and happy."

"Oh God. I can't believe we are really doing this."

This isn't goodbye, alright. We have true love and we are destined to be together in every life."

They kissed deeply only separating when Blue alerted them to the bubbling cauldron.

"It's time."

"I love you," said David.

Snow once again brought her lips to her first and true love's hoping to convey her matching feelings." I love you too."

The Blue fairy carefully aligned her hand with the man's chest and as quickly as she could plunged her hand in and tightly gripped his heart.

It was over in seconds, not wanting to prolong the pain Blue immediately crushed the heart over the cauldron turning it into a fine dust. David collapsed to the floor, Snow White screaming in agony at the loss of her husband and throwing herself across the body.

"How tragic."

Both Blue and Snow White turned in the direction of the lilting voice of Zelena.

"You are too late Zelena," Blue said aiming her wand at the green witch while knowing it would do very little against her. "The dark curse has been cast."

"Yes I suppose it has, my condolences by the way," she smirked at Snow. "I may not be able to stop the curse from happening but that doesn't mean I can't spice it up a bit. Since you're recreating my baby sister's original curse why don't we go ahead and make it a shot for shot remake and add a forgetting curse to the mix. "

"No!" Snow screamed trying to reach the other woman before she got the chance, but alas she was too late Zelena waved her hand over the cauldron and the once billowing purple smoke changed to a vibrant green. 

"I suppose it doesn't matter by this point as you won't remember any of this anyway but I am going to use your baby to go back in time and change mine and my sister's fates, so really you should be thanking me, your pasts Evil Queen problem is about to completely disappear."

"You won't get away with this."

"Oh sweetie, I already have. How do you expect to defeat me when you won't even remember my face? Not to mention you will be much too preoccupied with what happened to your dear sweet husband, never knowing always wondering."

"You're wrong! Goodness will always prevail."

"Will see about that," she smiled. "Toodles," she flew off cackling back to the castle she had to act fast though, the curse would only take so long to reach her and she would need to get her and Rumplestiltskin her stash of memory potion before they were all back in Storybrooke.

"No, no, no, no. Blue we can't let this happen we can't let his sacrifice be for nothing."

"We won't, I promise. His sacrifice will live on in the hearts of our people for generations to come. Goodness and love will triumph."

Love and hearts was all Snow White heard. "No, we can't let it end like this, from the moment David and I met our hearts have been one, so I need you to split my heart and we will share, just like we always have."

"Your Majesty you are grieving...

"No it will work. I know it will. I have to believe it will."

"Nothing like this has ever been done before."

"I know," she said stepping close to the fairy.

Blue nodded still uncertain about what she was about to do, but she quickly thrust her hand into the woman's chest before she had a chance to have any second thoughts.

****

**The World Without Magic**

****

       The night was sultry so after the party Emma and Regina had decided to take a walk around central park talking about nothing in particular throughout most of it and just enjoying being alone with each other.

"So did you have fun tonight," asked the brunette.

"I did. It is a shame you missed my horseshoes victory though," she said holding up her plastic dollar store gold medal.

"Yea," she smiled at the cheap thing. "I don't know how I could have missed that. It must have been while I was in the restroom."

"Or possibly when you were _discreetly_ putting kale onto my burger, did you honestly think I wouldn't be able to taste those bitter yard clippings?" She smirked.

"Well I only did that because I love you and I want you around for a long time, besides I didn't say a word when I saw you slipping three of my empanadas on your plate," she smirked back.

Regina for her part did not seem to realize what she had said but Emma was well aware and reached for the darker woman's hand lacing their fingers together.

They were just now walking out of the park and Emma could see her car parked in the distance. "I couldn't help it, I think it was the heat. Very addicting."

"Red Pepper flakes, gives it a nice kick. Did you really like them?" 

"Yes, you are queen over all things apples, and I should bow before someone who possesses such mastery," she smiled.

She laughed and leaned into Emma pressing the woman's body up against the bug and their lips together.

The moment was broken when they heard boisterous and drunken laughter coming from a group of men roughly fifteen feet away from them. They were circled around each other every one of them a beer in their hands and seemingly in their own world. A car drove by and for a split second the headlights flashed upon the group, it took Emma a moment for her eyes to readjust to the dark and she realized who it was she was staring at.

"Paul Dansic," she called out.

The man turned with a smile on his face, one that was immediately lost when he saw who had called his name.

"Oh shit!" He yelled and started running. The man did not get far before Emma gave chase after him, a particularly easy task considering how unsteady the man was on his feet. Not much further ahead of her, Emma noticed a group of trashcans and the moment she stepped next to them she reached for one of the metal lids and launched it at the man. The metal saucer flew striking the criminal in the calf causing his already shaky legs to collapse under his weight and he fell to the concrete with a resounding thud. The blonde sprinted the last few feet reaching the man before he was able to pick himself off the ground and placed him in a restraining position. Emma prepared herself for the man's thrashing struggles; however, she was not prepared for the raucous cheering that came from the group of drunken men, Dansic's so called friends, as the criminal went down.

"Regina!" She called out, her breathing labored. "Get the cable ties from the glove compartment please!"

The older woman, who had been frozen in astonishment until acknowledged, hurriedly did as she was asked and brought over the restraining bands as fast as possible when she reached Emma she noticed the blonde's heavy unsteadily heaving chest as well as the other woman's muscles straining underneath toned arms. Beads of sweat began to run down the blonde's neck and chest and the rush of adrenalin Regina had felt only moments ago seemed to shoot straight in between her legs.  

"This is really what you do for a living?"

"Yea. It's called a collar," she smiled triumphantly.

****

       The women waited around for the cops to show up before making their way back to the car and back to their apartment. Regina glanced at the other woman as they drove home in silence, Emma had a satisfied smirk on her face. Watching the blonde woman take down the man had been surprisingly exhilarating not to mention oddly erotic. Emma seemed to be aware of her wife's glances and started to chuckle.

"What?" The blonde asked.

"Pull over," she smiled.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Just pull over for a second," she said gesturing over to a parking garage.

Emma pulled into the garage finding a space near the back and not one second after her keys left the ignition Regina had aggressively latched onto her lips. Emma, while taken by surprise, was quick to catch on and returned the woman's kisses. Feeling a tongue press against her lips Regina took the initiative to climb over the gear shift and to straddle the blonde woman's lap. The younger woman frantically reached for the lever to recline her seat while trying to avoid ever breaking contact with her wife who was in the process of unbuttoning her shirt. Both women were immersed in the feeling of the others mouth when finally Regina was freed from the confines of her bra and immediately brought the younger woman's hand to her left breast. Emma felt the soft weight of the globe in her hand and began running her thumb across a rapidly hardening nipple, an overwhelmingly delightful feeling that was only topped when she felt the other woman begin to grind against her. Emma felt pleasant vibrations coming from the lower half of her body and... and music. It was then that the blonde woman realized that the vibrations were in fact coming from her cell phone located in her pocket and not anything in particular that Regina was doing.

"Fuck," the blonde groaned ceasing all adult activity, the crushing realization that she and Regina were being interrupted by the unavoidable ringtone of Henry, motherhood always came first.

"Hello," she managed to get out.

"Hey can you come pick me up soon?"

"Really, right now." Emma said trying to hide the desperation in her voice. "It's after eleven I just assumed you would be spending the night."

"No, Mrs. Novaczek has work early tomorrow morning. Are you okay? You are breathing really heavily."

"Perfectly fine," she replied trying to ignore the throbbing between her legs and the woman still in her lap. "I will be there soon, be ready when I get there."

"Kay bye."

"Bye," Emma said as sweetly as possible before ending the call.

Regina not needing to hear the other side of the conversation to know what was going on groaned and rested her forehead against the blonde's shoulder.

"Cockblocked by our own son," Emma said while searching for the lever to bring the driver's seat back to its normal position.

That got a laugh out of Regina. "Baseball and cold showers baby," she said giving a final kiss to the other woman's neck. She climbed off of her wife and began searching for her discarded shirt, only when she found it did she finally notice that Emma had made no attempt to start the car or even move for that matter. Instead she was staring at her much in the same way she herself had been staring at Emma not ten minutes before.

"I love you," the blonde said without a hint of teasing or sarcasm, all Regina saw or heard was honesty.

Regina smiled sweetly and leaned over to give the blonde a tender kiss hoping that it conveyed her matching feelings. "I love you too."

****

       "Get up stairs and start getting ready for bed, I'll bring you up some pepto in a minute, okay?" his mom asked.

"Okay," Henry replied sulking upstairs without a second glance. At some point during the night Henry and his friends had decided it would be a really fun and smart idea to have a hot dog eating contest which came back to bite him half way through the car ride home and Emma was required to pull over for a second and much less exciting time.

"I am going to go take a shower," Emma proclaimed before Regina got a chance to protest, she had hoped they could at least talk about what had happened and more importantly what they had said. She supposed it could wait for a more appropriate hour though or at least at a time when the younger woman did not have remnants of their son's sick on her.

She grabbed the pink liquid from the hall bathroom's medicine cabinet and quickly grabbed a spoon before making her way up to the boys room. She found him huddled in a fetal position under the covers.

"Well, did you at least win?" She asked.

"No, second. Although it was kind of impossible, Jacob was already in the double digits by the time I rounded seven."

"Seven?!"

****

       Emma stood under the pulsating spray of the showerhead thinking back to what had almost occurred in the car that night. She loved Henry more than life itself but the boy had the worst timing imaginable, it had been months since the last time she and Regina had been with eachother and she was really starting to get stir crazy. She thought about the way Regina felt under her fingertips, the softness of her full lips, and the smell of her hair. The blonde felt a sudden twitch coming from her clit and without realising it she had moved her hand between her legs imagining that it was the brunette. She stroked her fingers against her all too sensitive nerve bundle thinking of the woman's breasts, and hands, and face, and lips, andâ€¦ she gave a sharp inhale as her muscles tensed the pressure building until she finally felt relief. She moved to rest her head against the tile catching her breath from the small but satisfying orgasm unbeknownst to her that Regina was currently doing the exact same thing in their bedroom.

Sexual energy having calmed down enough Emma was able to actually finish her shower and it was a quarter after twelve when she finally turned off the water. The blonde stepped out and began drying her hair feeling the exhaustion cover her like a blanket, she was getting much too old to run on four hours of sleep. When she walked into the master bedroom listening to the pops and crackles of the still exploding fireworks she found that Regina was already fast asleep. She watched the older woman's steady breathing while bathed in moonlight, as well as the occasional burst of color and the electricity instantly returned to her body. The very last bit of sleepiness withered away and without thinking Emma slipped off her robe and climbed into bed next to her. She pushed aside the dark locks and pressed her lips to the other woman's temple hitting a rough patch of skin that she had surprisingly never noticed before. Emma continued to stroke the older woman's cheek, an action to which Regina unconsciously moved more deeply into. Staring down at Regina the blonde was suddenly overcome with an urge that was telling her to kiss the sleeping woman and before she even realized it, Emma was leaning down and doing just that, as if it had been second nature. Her lips aplied gentle pressure to the ones beneath her own and patiently waited for Regina to awaken and return the pressure, the urgency from earlier that night not present. After only a few short moments there it was, the tingling sensation of a returned kiss.  As she pulled away she watched Regina's eyes flutter open revealing beautiful amber colored orbs that could not hide the arousal that she was feeling. Emma leaned down again this time the kiss was immediately returned and as it deepened the blonde moved herself to lie on top of the dark haired woman. Regina's heart began to race as she felt her wife climb on top of her, her body enlivened by the realization of what was about to take place. Smiling into the kiss Regina brought her arms around Emma's neck adjusting herself so that the younger woman fit perfectly between her legs.

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT.

       Regina woke up surprisingly enough to the sound of the alarm blaring and flashing 8:15. She was unsure of the last time she had done this but given the lateness in the hour in which she had gone to sleep, it was understandable. She still felt weak from the exertion of rediscovering her lover's body but the brunette honestly could not care less at that moment. Being with Emma the night before had made her deliriously happy and more importantly it allowed for the emotional connection that Regina had thought lost forever to return. The moment she felt the blonde's fingers enter her she listened to the other woman's sweet voice whisper I love you and Regina was once again convinced that Emma was indeed the woman she was meant to spend the rest of her life with. 

Reaching over to turn the irate ringing off, she smiled as she felt movement behind her and moved to get up herself. However, arms slipped around her waist and tightly pinned her to their still nude owner.

"Stay with me. Please," the blonde sleepily pleaded.

The dark haired woman turned in the embrace so she could face the younger woman bringing her hand to stroke her cheek before leaning in and deeply kissing her.

"I can't. I have to go to work," she said quietly. Regina watched as beautiful green eyes popped open for the first time that morning, focusing only on her.

"It's Fourth of July weekend, no one is working today." 

"As I recall Caroline Novaczek is working today," she said teasingly remembering how she and Emma had been interrupted the night before.

"As I recall," Emma replied in an equally teasing voice, "Doctor Novaczek is a pediatric surgeon and it is rather hard to ignore a child in need of a new kidney. You on the other hand," Emma moved to roll the other woman onto her back, "are the boss. Just call up your crew, I am certain no one will mind the four day weekend," she said before attaching her lips to her wife's neck.

"And what," Regina was becoming pleasantly distracted by what Emma's mouth was doing and it was becoming difficult to think much of anything else." What about you?"

"I am due for a vacation." She continued to move her tongue marking the woman in between every few words. "I will be able to take some time off, make a deposit in Henry's college fund, and still be able to take you out to a fancy dinner. After last night, I have a very big payday coming to me."

"And what part of last night are you referring to exactly Miss Swan?"

Emma smirked recalling how turned on Regina had become while watching her take down Dansic and so she regaled the tale of how she had overpowered the perp while simultaneously beginning to move her kisses lower and lower. When she got to the part about zip tying the man's wrists she started to pull down the sheet revealing the brunette's breasts and wrapped her lips around a pert nipple. Regina involuntarily gasped pressing the blonde's head further into her breast and slipping a thigh between her legs.

**Who would have thought financial security would have been such a turn on for Regina** , thought Emma finding her own joke hilarious.

But then all of a sudden her mouth was empty and she no longer felt the enjoyable press of a thigh against her center. Regina had moved and for a moment Emma self consciously had thought that the other woman had indeed decided to go to work. Then she noticed that the brunette had only turned in bed and was vigorously looking through the side table drawer. Realizing what the other woman was looking for she moved back up the darker woman's body returning her lips to the woman's neck and blindly reaching her own hand into the drawer. Emma had come across the ring two weeks ago while searching for a spare phone jack and it only took a few seconds before her fingertips brushed against the smooth metal. Regina held out her hand so the blonde could slip it on, once it was in its rightful place she was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy but also confusion as to why she had ever thought to take it off her finger in the first place. The moment the ring was secure Regina turned back into the other woman bringing their lips together and rolling them so that she was now on top. The brunette once again pressed her thigh against the other woman's core feeling slick heat and coarse hair as she began gentle movements against her. She took great pleasure in listening to the mewling sounds coming from her wife not to mention the pleasant sensation of her clit brushing against the blonde's hip bone with each movement. Emma began mimicking her wife's movements meeting each thrust of the woman's thigh with a thrust of her hips while she ran her hands up and down the darker woman's spine. Their pace was quickening and with every movement the blonde felt her muscles tense even tighter, her body was beginning to spasm and the first sign of her impending orgasm was upon them. She was so close and knew it would only take just a little bit more before Regina sent her over the edge. The brunette, savvy to the other woman's state, moved faster still and it took only a few more powerful drives before Emma felt the sweet relief of her muscles relaxing from their frigid state. Regina felt the sharp bite of her wife's nails as they dug into her shoulder blades but she hardly noticed, she instead was too preoccupied with the feeling of the generous amount of cum that had coated her leg. She continued to work the blonde through the final moments of her orgasm and it was not long before she felt her own arising. 

"You are beautiful like this you know," Regina said afterwards while trying to catch her breath. "Breathing heavily, all red cheeked and writhing beneath me," she smiled.

"Really?" The blonde asked leaning up to kiss the other woman.

"Truly," she said kissing her again.

"And what about above you?" she smiled seductively.

"That's nice too," she smiled back.

****

**Storybrooke**

       The booming chimes of the clock tower as it struck 8:15 was the first thing Snow White was aware of, only she was not Snow White at least not here. The raven haired woman took in her surroundings realizing she was at her loft in Storybrooke, but how did she get here when she was supposed to be in the Enchanted Forest? **I was born Snow White and I am also known as Mary Margaret Nolan nee Blanchard, I am from the Enchanted Forest, and have a daughter who I sent to this world before my step-mother the Queen cast Rumplestiltskin's dark curse. Whew, at least my past is still up there** . She racked her mind but for the life of her Mary Margaret could not figure out how she ended up home and in bed in a world without magic when only moments ago she had been standing with everyone at the town line. Slightly panicked she turned with a little difficulty, that she chose to ignore, and was relieved to find her husband lying next to her. The last thing she remembered was watching as Regina crossed the town line just after Henry and Emma had also... **Emma** , she thought. **Emma must have found a way for us all to be together again,** she thought excitedly. Quickly rising from her position on the bed in hopes of finding her daughter only to be shocked into stopping. The difficulty in rising was even more apparent and when she looked down Mary Margaret was left speechless at the site of her protruding stomach. **Oh My God this is not possible** , she thought fearfully the last time she had been this big she had been several months pregnant, but that just simply could not be.

"David!" She called out desperately to the man lying next to her.

"Wha...what?" He asked startled and ready for danger.

She motioned towards her stomach turmoil written on her face.

He looked as if his mind was not registering what his eyes were seeing. He reached out tentatively as if not trusting it was real but alas it was. He had never been so frightened and simultaneously happy at the same time before. She looked to be at the very least twenty weeks along, but that just could not be possible. He continued to stare in shock until he heard the dark haired woman speak again.

"David, do you remember anything?" His wife asked as tears began to fill her eyes.

"Pan's curse it was about to hit us, Regina she was going to send us all back." His mood instantly darkened, "Regina. She must have done something. Wiped our memories to hide whatever wicked or evil plot she has cooked up."

"We don't know that?"

"Don't we?" The man asked incredulously.

"No, we don't," she stated unwaveringly.

"Come on, you know how she is. Once things start going south she always takes the easy route to get what she wants."

"Regina was working so hard to be the mother that Henry needed, she and Emma were really trying to work together. I have to believe the best."

David looked disbelievingly at her but then it was like a minor fog had been lifted and he remembered the blonde for the first time since his awakening.

"Emma," he said.

The man shot out of bed and raced up the stairs, "Emma! Henry!" He scanned the upstairs bedroom but he and Sno...Mary Marga...his wife were the only ones in the apartment.

David could hardly contain the overwhelming anger he felt towards the Evil Queen and her obvious betrayal at that moment. She had once again managed to tear his family apart but this was the very last time he swore.

"They're not here," he said moving down the stairs just as quickly going in search of his gun.

Snow managed to wobble herself off the bed, "David what are you doing!?"

"Finding our daughter," the man said taking the safety off of the firearm.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT.

       Across town one Mr. Walsh Zauberer sat in the back of the yellow cab awaiting the arrival of his destination. He had received the group text informing him that work at the brownstone was canceled and would begin again on Monday morning. There were few things in this land, he realized, that would pull the success driven woman from work. Given that the message had ended in a smiling emoticon it was safe to guess that nothing serious that would warrant his _help_ had happened. Regina was happy, that much was obvious and that meant phase two of his mistress’ plan was beginning to take motion. He watched as they drove past the Flatiron building the, for some unknown reason iconic, building which could not hold a candle to his mistress’ towering golden spires back in Oz. Returning his thoughts back to his target he admitted that there were certainly things he appreciated in the dark haired woman, mostly the things that he also appreciated in Zelena. There were certain moments when the light hit the woman or when she smiled or even sneered that she looked very much like the red head despite their difference in sires. Sometimes he liked watching the low level employees cower at her heavy handedness that came from her own perfectionism just as he had watched the Munchkins cower before Zelena. It was a shame she had made such a grave slight towards his mistress otherwise he might actually have enjoyed her company. Alas, Regina had made the choices she did and for that she would pay to the fullest extent, for Zelena could only reign in true glory after the other woman’s destruction. He was so caught up in his thoughts that Walsh had not realized that the cab had stopped and the driver was barking his need for $27.30, he threw three tens at the man and stepped out onto the sidewalk. He looked up at the medium sized building located on Second street which consisted of offices containing any manner of business, but it was only one that he was interested in today. He first checked the directory located on a plaque next to the door, H. Vogelsang M.F.C.C 307, smirking as he made his way inside and asking the receptionist if he could speak with the doctor.

       Meanwhile Emma awoke to the wonderful feeling of Regina running her fingers through her hair and gently massaging her scalp. Even in a non sexual manner Regina’s hands could work wonders, the other woman truly was a marvel. She smiled bringing her lips to the woman’s shoulder for a tender kiss before attempting to roll off of the brunette’s body but she was stopped and pulled back flush against her. Regina enjoyed the feeling of the other woman’s weight on top of her and preferred it if she were to stay there for the time being. Emma in no hurry to move relaxed against her wife again and began laying kisses against the woman’s collarbone and the crook of her neck. How could she for even one moment have believed that she and Regina were not supposed to be together? Emma asked herself. Being with her now and doing absolutely nothing more than lying together was infinitely better than any life she could imagine without her. They stayed like this for another ten minutes or so before Emma finally moved pulling her wife so that they were instead both facing one another.

"What time is it?" The blonde asked quietly, not actually caring about the question but just wanting to hear her wife’s voice.

"Almost ten thirty, we should get up soon," Regina said reluctantly.

The blonde groggily shook her head no, causing soft laughter to come from the older woman.

"Yes," she smiled. "Henry will be up soon" 

"After his last night we’ll be lucky if he wakes up before noon."

Regina laughed thinking of their poor bilious son, "Still, as happy as I am sure he will be that we are _okay_ I think we should save him from this particular childhood trauma."

"Speaking from experience are we?" She smirked

"No, thank god. I don’t think my brain would have been able to handle that."

"I don’t know I’ve seen pictures of your parents when they were younger, Henry cut a pretty nice figure not to mention that shot of Cora in that one piece," she said giving a toothy grin.

"Sorry, but I am not so easily gotten," she mocked back rolling her eyes.

"No, you’re not, but you were awfully vocal last night and Henry may very well be aware of what was going on," she teased.

That however did cause Regina to blush, "You’re not exactly the silent type either you know. How did we used to get away with each other without him noticing?"

Emma shrugged and thought for a moment, "Another side affect of him getting older I guess, a year or two ago we could have told him we were just wrestling and he would have believed us."

Regina laughed again and brought her lips to the blonde’s, "Come on I will run us a shower."

Emma watched the wiggle of her wife’s naked hips and bottom as she made her way to the bathroom and with a brassy smile dutifully followed behind her.

 

**Somewhere on the Enchanted Seven Seas**

 

       "Yo Ho Yo Ho a pirate’s life for me," _hiccough_ Killian Hook Jones Captain of the Jolly Roger drunkenly sang while locked away in his private quarters. It had taken him several months, and several _borrowed_ ships, but he had finally tracked down his beloved ship four months ago in the possession of his once former captain Edward Blackbeard Thatch. However he was not met with the satisfaction and fulfillment that he thought he would have been at the rediscovery of his ship. He felt an odd emptiness in his chest that he had not felt in a number of centuries and had a sinking suspicion as to what, or rather who, that emptiness was attributed to. The devilishly handsome pirate had woken at the crack of dawn with a pounding hangover and decided that the best remedy, of course, would be to start drinking as soon as possible. The bottle of rum had slipped from his hand and he was beginning to doze off when he heard what sounded like cannon fire against his ears, he blearily opened his bloodshot eyes to find a pigeon tap tap tapping on his window.

"Shoo you damnable beast," he shouted and waved his arm.

Tap tap tap.

"I said fuck off," he said even more gruffly.

But still, tap tap tap

"Bollocks," he angrily groaned rising from his bed. "Bloody pigeon won’t let me have a moment’s peace," he mumbled as he opened the window pane in an attempt to shoo the bird off of the ship.

"Go on, off with you." He shout waving his hands unsteadily about but it was to no avail the moment it saw its chance the bird swiftly flew into the captain’s quarters landing squarely on the man’s desk.

"No, no, no I am sorry mate but no stowaways on my ship," he moved to grab the annoying little animal but it pecked at his hand the minute he reached for it.

"Damn it!" He shouted as a line of blood made its way down his thumb. "Blasted bird," he yelled now lunging for the avian, but he was much too quick for the pirate and quickly made its way over to the mattress perching right on top of the man's pillow. Killian moved more slowly this time and just when he was ready to grab the little bastard he noticed for the first time the parchment and vile tied to its leg.

He moved as slowly as possible this time and finally scooped up the pigeon gently stroking its back as he pulled the small scroll from the animal squinting so as to be able to make out the tiny scrawl.

**SOS, Storybrooke back, Find Emma, This will make her remember.**

And that was it, no explanation of where to find her, no signature so as to know who was sending him on this quest, for all he knew this was a trick and the potion was actually poison. However, deep down he knew the truth behind the message and it left no doubt as to what he must do.

"Sorry I doubted you old boy," he said gently leading him towards the window and then tossing him to the open air. He watched until the bird was no longer visible to the naked eye and then made his way up the stairs to the ship’s deck.

"All right men! Hoist the anchor and raise the sails!"

"A new journey captain," asked Mr.Smee excitedly. "What is it this time buried treasure, ransoming a nobleman, a stop over in the brothels of Glowerhaven?" He asked wantonly.

"A much more noble quest Mr.Smee, now make haste and keep east we are headed to the swamp lands."

"The swamp lands Captain? What could you possibly find of use in there."

He hesitated for a moment fearing even the mere mention of her name "Tia Dalma," he answered gravely.

"Captain?" The stout man asked fearfully.

"We need to get to Storybrooke, she can get us there," he stated without any further explanation.

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT or POTC.

       David marched at a quick pace towards the house on Mifflin street pounding on the door when he reached the posh looking porch. He had searched the town over looking for Emma starting first at the sheriff’s station and ending at Granny's but it was to no avail. The confusion amongst the town folk was evident particularly amongst those he did not recognize, he was now livid and began his search for the woman he was certain was responsible.

“Regina!” He banged on the door harder.

“Regina, open up now!” He waited another moment before he pulled back his leg and kicked open the door, breaking the lock and splintering the wood in the process. The house was dark and, from the look of it, had come without an occupant. 

“Regina?” He called out again, this time more cautious than angry. He moved through the foyer slowly keeping his gun aimed.

“David!” Yelled Mary Margaret as she reached her husband huffing and puffing as she gripped her back and stomach. “David, what do you think you are doing?” Then she doubled over in pain, apparently thirty years had made her forget the _many joys_ of pregnancy.

“Mary Margaret!” He rushed over to his wife holstering his gun in the process.

“I’m fine, it is just a cramp.” She assured her husband.

“Here sit down," he said guiding her towards the dining room table. “I’ll get you a glass of water.” he said rushing towards the kitchen, taking note of the surroundings as he did. The kitchen, much like the town itself, seemed frozen in time. There were dishes left out, as if only for half a day, waiting for their owner to return to wash them. He checked the refrigerator, stocked full of food that had not aged or spoiled whatsoever in the time that they were gone. Regina was not here, his heart sank at this realization and he made his way back to his wife water in hand.

“Here drink this,” he said kneeling before her.

She took a small sip before stating, “They are not here are they?”

It had not been a question intended for answer but David did so anyway, "No, they are not.”

The confirmation of what she had feared caused the woman to let her glass crash to the fall and she was once again left crying at the loss of her child and grandchild.

 

**New York City**

Monday night came around and found Emma and Regina on their weekly dinner date after their counseling session.

“Did he seem odd to you today?” Asked Regina taking a sip of her wine.

“Who?” 

“Dr. Vogelsang, did he seem...different to you?”

Emma took a bite of her chicken and thought for a moment. The doctor had shown some traits uncharacteristic of himself, but she had not been paying close attention, rather she was still slightly lost in the happiness of having rekindled her and Regina’s passion this past weekend.  

“Now that you mention it he did seem a bit,” she searched for the right word but was not able to find one that exactly fit. “Maybe it was just an off night?”

“Perhaps.” Regina thought back to the man for whose expertise she had spent close to two thousand dollars on. He had seemed almost frozen at times not even sparing a blink and when he did speak up it seemed as if he was almost fishing for information rather than simply pushing the conversation forward. 

Emma gave her wife a discerning look.

“What?” she asked looking slightly annoyed.

She smiled, “I know you and it will drive you crazy if you keep thinking on it so just let it go, okay? Besides I was thinking maybe it’s time we try to break away and stand on our own for a bit. We could start cutting back to a session or two a month?”

Regina was taken by surprise, quickly forgetting the awkwardness of the appointment. “Do you really think we are ready? I mean,” she lowered her voice, “this weekend was amazing, but it has only been a couple of months.”  

"While I still would prefer a neutral party on occasion, we never planned on it being a permanent fixture in our lives.”

No they had not, thought Regina as she pushed around the vegetables on her plate, having lost her appetite. “I guess you’re right,” she answered, “but what about Henry, he seemed to respond well to therapy” 

“We’ve got a pretty good handle on all these communication exercises, as long as we stay vigil, Henry will be okay,” she said unsure if she was trying to convince the brunette or herself. How silly, thought Emma, to be worried about raising her child without some sort of outside assistance, as if she and Regina had not been doing so for years.

Regina, despite her wife’s request, returned her thoughts to the doctor’s peculiar behavior, perhaps it would be best for them to stay away for awhile and if Henry were to ever broach the subject then they could certainly send him, although it would probably be best if they could find a psychiatrist who was more familiar with working with young boys. 

“Alright let’s do it,” said Regina. Everything she and Emma had gone through this past year was starting to feel like a distant dream, becoming foggier with each day and filling her with more confidence.

“Are you Positive? I want us to be 100% in agreement on this."

“Absolutely, we can do this,” she said nodding assuredly.

“Yes, we can,” Emma said leaning over the table to capture her wife’s lips.

 

**The Swamp lands, Two months later**

 

       Killian Jones, sailed his ship to the farthest point he could before he and Mr. Smee were forced to make the rest of the journey on one of the Jolly Roger’s lifeboats guided solely by the faint flickering of a lantern hanging from its bow . His first mate rowed slowly fear evident in the short man’s eyes, practically shaking with every movement of the trees surrounding them. 

“Killian Jones”, the dark skinned woman let out slowly and heavily accented.

“Madam Dalma, I come in search of…

“I know why you are here Killian Jones. The question is what are you willing to trade for your heart’s desire,” she asked gesturing towards the black box his first mate had carried in.

“Captain perhaps we should rethink…

“You have no business here fat little man,” she shouted at Smee.

“She is right Mr. Smee, I thank you for your continued loyalty but this is my deal and I should like to spare you from it.” 

“But captain, this could be the key to exacting your revenge,” he said gripping the box tighter to his chest.

He ignored his companion and looped his hook through the handle on top of the box setting it in front of the Voodoo priestess. The box was no more than ten inches tall, was stretched in black leather, and for all intents and purposes was completely nondescript, but what rested inside, a terrible power, that would not be so easily given up by anyone who possessed it. The woman raised the lid of the box and was satisfied with what she found and reached to bring the item out of its entrapment flames steadily rising from it as she did.

“The skull of Baba Yaga,” said Killian seriously. “Enchanted to seek out the darkest of souls and to destroy them.”

She smiled but quickly put the skull back in its case as she began to feel burning sensation in her heart and placed it high on a shelf. The priestess searched through the vials on the same shelf bringing down various ingredients, spines of the Chinese Jujube, head of a crow, ashes of a birch tree, and finally blood of the conjurer all dumped into a wooden bowl resting on the table.  

“Here,” she said thrusting the contents of the bowl at the pirate. Go a mile out to sea and toss it into the ocean then wait for the maelstrom, once it turns a deep green sail you ship through and you shall soon find your lost love.

Killian cringed at the vile concoction, “Madam Dalma one last bit of information, he said before removing a ring from his finger and placing it before her. “Where exactly will I find Miss Swan?”

Tia reached into her pocket bringing out a handful of snail shells and lobster claws shaking them about before opening her hands. The pieces spilled out onto the table in a cacophonous array, smiling a blackened toothy grin as she answered, “New York City.”

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT

       Mary Margaret awoke to the peculiar feeling of the baby looking for a more comfortable position inside of her, its movements only filling her with despair as she looked at the calendar and was reminded of what day it was. October 23rd, Emma’s birthday, Emma’s thirtieth birthday as well as the thirtieth anniversary of the casting of the curse that had split them all apart. The day that everything she had ever known and had ever hoped for her daughter had been ripped away. In the past couple of weeks they had gotten accustomed to the idea of once again being without their daughter, but they were not without their daily struggle and just the anticipation of the day was enough to leave her in tears. It was odd how a single solitary date could hold so much significance in one’s life.

“Good morning,” David greeted his wife with pancakes and hot cocoa, kissing her lips as well as her protruding stomach.

“Good morning,” she replied, both knowing that there was nothing good about it.

“So, I was going to do rounds today, but if you want I can stay home with you.”

In Regina’s absence Mary Margaret had taken on her mayoral duties but had recently started her maternity leave, deciding the length of time allotted, a perk of running an entire town.

“No,” she said solemnly. “Zelena will be here for our first session before long, she wants to discuss possible birthing positions with me.”

“Are you sure? I could stick around and help out, after all when the day comes I will be there every step of the way.”

“I know, but Sleepy and Bashful haven’t been seen in nearly three days, the sooner we take care of this witch problem the better. “Go, there will be other sessions.”

“Alright if you are sure, but I will be back around noon and with a pint of rocky road that has your name on it,” he smiled knowing of his wife’s cravings.

Mary Margaret gave a small smile even with the impending threat David was always thinking of her and the baby. Unbeknownst to her however was that behind her husband’s charming smile, David was terrified and rather relieved that he did not have to face the midwife.

   

**New York City**

 

        Emma awoke to the pleasant feeling of heat and suction on the pulse point of her neck, “Good morning,” she said sleepily with a smirk.

“Good morning,” the brunette smiled, moving her kisses to the blonde’s collarbone drawing patterns with her tongue.

 _A good way to start off her thirties_ **,** thought Emma happily watching as the older woman moved down her body.

Regina began to unbutton the other woman’s shirt placing a kiss on the newly exposed skin after each one. Emma began to shiver in anticipation and soon the brunette had the blonde’s pajama top off and forgotten on the floor leaving Emma’s nipples to harden in the crisp morning air. She peppered kisses across the flat abdomen of the woman laid before her listening intently to the sounds of approval she was making. Regina reached the apex of her wife’s legs and slowly moved to take off her bottoms lightly scraping the tips of her nails against pale hips as she did. Emma was now completely exposed to the other woman and she felt a rush of excitement as the older woman slowly ran smooth hands up and down her thighs, opening her further. The brunette’s appreciative perusal of her body was enough to turn Emma on but she could barely stand it when the other woman positioned herself between her legs. Regina inhaled the blonde’s musky scent before kissing her deeply, thoroughly enjoying the taste of her wife’s arousal. The blonde’s eyes fluttered closed as she began to rock against the woman’s mouth, feeling overwhelmed as her muscles began to tighten. The older woman continued with her slow and steady strokes until she felt the blonde gasp and bring her hand to her head ensuring that she stayed in that particular spot, while Regina brought her own hand up to massage a firm breast. She quickened her pace, as did Emma’s breathing, and added in a less predictable pattern of motion which the blonde immediately reacted to. Emma’s legs were opening wider of their own volition desperate to have as much contact with the other woman as possible, she tightly fisted the dark tresses in her left hand while her right reached for their headboard in a white knuckled grip.

“Fu..fuck,” Emma managed to get out just before peaking, turning her head into a pillow to muffle the noises she was making.

A flood of arousal coated Regina’s mouth, which she accepted greedily before making her way back up the blonde’s body, following the line of kisses she had made before. She reached the top of the bed and firmly planted a kiss on her lover’s lips, letting the blonde taste the remnants of herself.

“Happy Birthday,” she said softly before nestling herself on top of her wife who in turn wrapped her arms around the other’s body a smile on her face.

       They stayed like that, in an ephemeral glow, until the alarm alerted them that it was indeed eight fifteen.

“Do you want me to hit the snooze button,” asked Regina as she reached for the ipad.

“No, I’m good,” she answered stretching her back as much as she could before leaning in for another kiss.”

“So,” she asked smiling, “How do you feel?”

“Oh, very satisfied,” she smiled.

Regina laughed, “I meant, how does it feel to be a mature, responsible, woman in her thirties?”

“Oh that.” Emma said facetiously as if it had only now just crossed her mind. “Well I must say I do feel an air of superiority over all the other cougar huntresses who were dropped before this age."

“Excuse me! I am hardly old enough to have ever been a cougar to you, older sister perhaps but hardly a sugar mama.”

“Well darling perception is everything and when we go out together…

She glanced towards her wife who was half glaring at her.

...you of course look younger than your age suggests.”

Regina smiled satisfied with the blonde’s answer, “Speaking of going out, what is on the agenda for today?”

“Hmm let’s see, breakfast of hot cocoa, pancakes, and scrambled eggs. Dinner at six thirty at Ostria, then it is off to the marina for a moonlit boat ride for two, and then finally back here by ten for cake with Henry.”

“Sounds perfect. Why don’t you make yourself presentable while I go and start on the pancakes,” she said leaning in for a final kiss.

“Mmhm, oh Regina before you go," she called out as her wife turned back around. "You might want to go wash your face before kissing Henry good morning.”

The brunette smiled clearly embarrassed and blushing before she made her way towards the bathroom.

   

    **Storybrooke**

 

         “Breath in 2, 3, 4 and out 2, 3, 4. Good. Now be sure to practice these exercises regularly, when the time comes these breathing exercises will help channel the pain of labor. Also be sure to include plenty of essential fats and proteins in your diet, we want our little bundle to grow big and strong, don't we?" asked the redhead searching the woman’s face for any type of recognition of the question and gleefully smiling when she realized that there was none.

The expectant mother sadly smiled and nodded only furthering the other woman’s happiness. Although, if Zelena had known the other woman would be so distracted during all of this she would not have spent nearly as much time the night before researching **What to Expect When You’re Expecting**.

“Mary Margaret is everything alright? You seem to be a bit out of sorts today,” Zelena asked putting on the most sincere face possible.

“Thank you, it’s just that today… well lets just say that I am more than ready for this day to be over."

“Because of your daughter,” Zelena had stated it as if it were a question but it most certainly was not one.

“What do you know about that?” She asked confused. Certain that in their previous conversation that she had not mentioned anything about Emma.

“Well if there is one thing, or one person rather, that this town is talking more about than the Wicked Witch, it is your Emma Swan. I can’t imagine how you must be feeling, the pain of losing your child and realizing she is out there right now believing you threw her away like yesterday’s trash.” Zelena clenched her fists feeling fingernails pierce her skin recalling her own abandonment, this was meant to hurt Snow White not her, the witch silently reminded herself.

Mary Margaret looked away sadly.

“Apologies if I am speaking out of turn, but you and David should be here together at such a trying time, it seems rather selfish of him to be off working right now.”

When Zelena arrived at the apartment that morning she was angered to realize that the so called Prince Charming, would not be joining them. She had yet to administer the Night Root to him and she was quickly losing time as with each new day brought with it the possibility of her being found out.

“He offered to stay, I was the one who insisted he go to work,” Mary Margaret quickly stated.

“I’m sorry, I’ve offended you, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Oh no, no really you didn’t. It’s just that, much like the subject of our sadness, David works through grief best by keeping busy, you know occupying his mind with other things.”

“Well there is no better way to keep busy than getting ready for a new baby. Trust me, just give me ten minutes with your husband and I will have him chopping down a tree so that he can build the crib himself,” she said giving the other woman a broad smile, one that was returned in full.

 

**New York City**

 

       Emma had put back on her discarded pajamas and was waiting patiently as her wife toiled around the kitchen.

“Happy Birthday,” Henry greeted happily as she joined him at the table, a brightly covered package in hand.

“Thank you,” Emma smiled at the crack in her son’s voice. She had noticed the change in the boy’s voice two weeks earlier and was careful not to tease him about it, but occasionally she could not help but smile.

“Hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon,” Regina said placing two cups in front of the table’s occupants. “And apple cinnamon pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon," she then stated proudly.

Emma smiled at the plate placed in front of her, Regina had stuck a single blue star candle in the middle of her pancakes.

“Happy birthday sweetheart,” the brunette said leaning in for a kiss. “Now close your eyes and make a wish before the wax drips everywhere.”

Emma did as she was told and shut her eyes, thinking for a moment before taking a deep breath.

_Bang bang bang!_

All three turned their attention to the front door.

“Are you guys expecting someone?”

Both shook their heads in the negative just before the banging returned, this time louder and more urgent.

“Stay here,” Emma warned her wife and son making her way to the door before cautiously opening it. Before her stood a tall handsome stranger dressed all in black who looked quite relieved to see her.

“Swan, thank God.”

“Can I help you?” She asked unsure if she knew the man who obviously knew her.

“Yes, something has happened something terrible, you have to come quickly,” he said making a move to enter into the apartment Emma immediately blocking him.

“What are you talking about, what happened?”

“There is no time to explain, just know that your family is in trouble and you are the only one who can help.”

“My family is right here, now I am only going to ask you this one time, who are you?”

“Relax, everything will become clear very soon,” he said as he thrust his lips upon her own.

Emma panicked for a moment before kneeing the man between the legs and forcefully pushing him to the ground. “Get the hell out of here before I call the cops you fucking pervert,” she said just before slamming and locking the door shut being sure to deadbolt it.

"Emma please, your family needs you!" He shouted through the door.

Hearing all the commotion Regina met her wife at the door, concern etched on her face, “Is everything alright?”

“Yea, someone must of left the door open downstairs,” Emma said clearly startled while picking up her breakfast and quickly blowing out the candle’s flame “Let’s eat.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Allusions to episode Going Home  
> What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, Workman Publishing 1984.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT or Ozma of Oz, but Ozma has been in the public domain since the 1980's for anybody curious.

       After breakfast Emma insisted that she drive Henry and Regina to school and work, concerned that the delusional man would return. She checked the safety and holstered her gun before ushering them all out of the apartment keeping vigil the whole time. They drove in relative silence, feeling somewhat better that they had made it onto the road without incident.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Regina asked after Henry had been safely dropped off at school.

“What’s to tell, a man came to the door and I took care of it.”

Regina looked at her wife skeptically.

“What? I did,” she stated annoyedly. 

Regina continued to stare at the blonde starting to become annoyed herself.

Emma’s will broke under her wife’s scrutiny but what to tell her,  _ Well honey some lunatic came to the door and started raving about how I needed to get to my family and how they were in trouble oh and he tried to shove his tongue down my throat. No doubt that would cause the brunette to completely lose it. _

“Just some drunk that found his way into the building, but I told you already, I took care of it,” she said reaching for the other woman’s hand. “ I checked our surroundings before leaving and I already called the super and reported him. Trust me, you know I would never let anything happen to you or Henry.” 

Regina looked worried which was exactly what Emma had been trying to avoid.

“Well are you sure you are alright!?" The brunette was getting a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that was telling her she was being lied to but she was also not willing to admit it either. They had come a long way in the past few months and she did not want unfounded suspicions to ruin all the progress they had made.

“I promise.”

“And you don’t want to postpone tonight?”

“No,” she smiled assuredly. “I have two decades worth of shit birthdays and I do not intend for some rum soaked jackass to ruin another one. Now try to relax and have a good day, alright.” She said as she leaned into the woman giving her a kiss goodbye.

Regina nodded and gave the other woman’s hand a squeeze before stepping out of the car.

 

**Storybrooke**

       Zelena marched through the streets of Storybrooke and did not stop once until she reached the sheriff’s station. She double checked her appearance before making her way inside to find Prince Charming at his desk hunched over a pile of paperwork.

“Knock knock,” she stated as sweetly as ever.

“Zelena, what are you doing here? Snow, the baby, are they…

“Mother and child are fine,” she assured. “But you, you on the other hand are the one who is in trouble.”

David looked on concerned, his instincts going crazy and he readied himself for a fight.

“Honestly, how much longer through the pregnancy did you think you could get away with avoiding me?” She smiled.

He immediately relaxed and felt silly after realizing that the red headed woman was only teasing him.

“After you missed our appointment this morning I thought that I would pack us a lunch pail and we could talk a little bit, get to know each other.

David was reluctant, with the Wicked Witch and Snow’s quickly approaching due date combined with the day’s anniversary he very much wanted to ignore everyone, but the growl of his stomach and a clock that read after one was enough to convince the man to take a few moments break.

“Sure, take a seat.” He smiled gesturing towards one of the desks.

“Now I have got ham and cheese sandwiches, pickles, granny smith apples, sponge cake, and my personal specialty fresh squeezed lemonade.” She said smiling and pulling out the large thermos. She spread out all the items out onto his desk and poured a large glass of the sweet liquid that unbeknownst to him contained the crushed night root.

“Wow, this all looks delicious," David said gratefully. "But if you don’t mind I think I am going to pass on the apple. ”

“Of course, how silly of me to forget one of the most iconic parts of your story. Please forgive me.”

“No, really. It is alright, it’s just that today would be a lot easier if I were just David Nolan and not  _ Prince Charming.” _

“Yes, Mary Margaret informed me that today would have been your first born’s birthday. It must be very difficult for you, balancing the excitement of a new child with the sadness of the loss of another one.”

“Is it that obvious?” He asked unsure of himself. "Thirty years ago I put my newborn daughter in a wardrobe and sent her to this land and I never once doubted that I was doing the right thing, but sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to raise her." 

Zelena looked on falsely sympathetic, “You know it is alright to admit if you are frightened David.”

“Frightened. Me. Never,” he gave a fake laugh.

“Yes well if it is just the same it may interest you to know that when I was a girl my father, who could hardly be relied upon for anything, would tell me, no matter what we were feeling on the inside we had to put on our best face.”

“He doesn’t particularly sound like father of the year.”

“Indeed not, but he did teach me that if I acted brave eventually that bravery would find its way to me. So any fears you may have, well I am certain that soon enough those troubles will melt like lemon drops* and before you know it all this will feel like a distant dream.” She smiled reassuringly as she pushed the glass of lemonade towards the man.

 

**New York City**

Emma sat in her car going over old files in search of anything that would tip her off to who the mysterious man in black was. She desperately wished she could take her own advice to Regina and put the incident out of her mind but the man had used her name, there was no telling how long he had been following her. Soon though her alarm went off and alerted her that it was time to call an end to the day and to start getting ready for her birthday dinner with Regina. 

She put on tights and a black leather dress, Regina liked the black leather, and put a slight curl to her hair before making her way to the restaurant. 

Emma had not realized it until she saw her wife sitting at the table waiting for her, but she had anxiously been holding her breath. One that was finally released when the brunette smiled and rose from her seat to meet her with a kiss. She supposed she had been more nervous about the man than she had realized and was relieved to know that Regina had not encountered him while she was away from her protection. 

“Hey, I ordered you the beef merlot,” said the brunette as she pulled out her wife’s chair.

“You know me so well,” she smiled taking a sip of the wine that had been placed in front of her. “So how was your day," she asked admiring the woman's red dress.

“Quiet, mostly going over schedules but culminated in me buying mentos and soda for Henry’s volcano project.”

“Baking soda and vinegar wasn’t good enough for him?”

“Why have a little fizzle when you can have an explosion,” she said mimicking their son while both laughed.

“So what about you, I trust that the first day of your thirties has treated you well, you know besides the drunken trespasser.” She asked biting into her chicken parmesan.

Emma thought about her answer, yes the man had plagued her mind today but in comparison, the first two decades of her life had sucked immensely followed by a pretty decent third, and now after a particularly pleasant few months, not to mention morning, Emma was left with an air of confidence and happiness. It was then she decided that she really wasn't going to let some drunk fool destroy her night and that there would be plenty of time to deal with the problem the next morning, if he truly even was a problem at that. She looked at Regina and smiled “I am beyond happy today."

       They made their way to the marina after dinner keeping close to stave off the cold spell that had hit New York and talking about nothing of any importance when they came upon their craft for the evening.

“What is this?” Asked Regina confused.

“This, is a 1963 Griffin Crown 31 worth roughly thirty-five grand.”

“Yes, I see that,” the brunette stated sarcastically. “I meant who does it belong to? When you said moonlit boat ride I was expecting one of those tour boats.”

“Tour boat suggests minimum three people and I promised a moonlit boat ride for two,” she said wrapping her arms around the now shivering woman. 

“That doesn’t answer my question,” she said slipping her arms into the sides of the other woman’s coat.

“Alright some guy put it up as collateral and it is being auctioned off on Saturday, my boss has the deed so as long as we don’t take it out its fine.”

“So we are sitting on the deck of a parked boat in the freezing cold.” 

“Of course not, there is a cabin,” she said moving from the woman and opening the door. She led the woman inside and out of the cold, “Now if you remember our first date we were on a boat together and while I certainly enjoyed our time together that night it had a severe lack of kissing. So this is my birthday gift to myself,” she said bringing her lips to Regina’s as she inched her towards the mattress.

“Not that I don’t like the idea of reliving the nicer parts of our first date, but you can’t for one minute think that I am getting into some cocaine smuggler’s stained skin flaked bed.”

“Tax fraud actually and fortunately I know you just as well as you know me,” she said bringing her lips to the brunette’s again. “I brought the sheets from home,” she smiled.

“My clever girl,” she smiled back and initiated her own kiss before giving a surprised yelp as Emma picked her up and collapsed them onto the bed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Somewhere over the rainbow, Judy Garland, MGM 1939.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT. Allusions to episode New York City Serenade.

       The following evening after putting in a full day’s work plus a considerable amount of paperwork, Emma made her way back to the boat to retrieve the blankets she and Regina had left behind the night before. Unbeknownst to her however, anchored only three spots away was the cloaked Jolly Roger whose deck its captain happened to be residing on at that very moment. Hook was unsure whether it was luck or fate that brought her to the marina but he would take that as a sign that Emma was indeed meant to return to Storybrooke, come hell or high water. It had taken him weeks to track down the blonde in this damnable city and he had finally tracked her when he caught sight of her bright yellow vessel, a surprising feat as this New York City seemed to be in no short supply of yellow vessels. He made his way towards the ship she had stepped on to and waited for her to return from below deck.

“Swan,” he greeted causing the woman to give a surprised shriek. 

“You are a stalker,” she yelled pulling her gun from her holster.

“Whoa, whoa easy there love. My ship is right over there so technically it’s not stalking if I was here first.”

“Well then, I think it is time for you to board your ship and leave,” she said without lowering her weapon.

“Now wait please just hear me out I have come to apologize.”

“For trying to kiss me?” She asked finally lowering her arms slightly but staying on guard.

“Yes and it has been a fair while since I have done such a thing so you’ll forgive me if I am just a bit rusty.”

“Kissing or apologizing?”

“I think you know the answer to that one love.” He said with a smirk.

Emma gave a look of half annoyance and half anger and rose her weapon again.

“Wait, wait,” he said out stretching his hands. “I have something for you, something that will remind you of who you are.”

“What are you talking about I know exactly who I am.”

“Regina, really did a number on you didn’t she.”

Whether it was out of fear or out of rage Emma did not know but the moment the man uttered her wife’s name she swung out, catching him on the side of the face with her gun.

Hook fell to the ground and not even a moment after he felt the cold steel of the blonde’s firearm pressed against his temple.

“How do you know that name?!” She demanded to know. “Have you been following us?”

“I know you can’t remember but we do know each other, use your superpower and you will see that I am not lying.”

The blonde was quite fed up with this man and his knowledge about her life. “Just because you believe something is true doesn’t make it that way.”

“Doesn’t it? But as hard as it is to believe, I do know you Swan, and you can feel that something about this life is off,” he said reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a small piece of lined paper. “Please, just go to this address if you do I guarantee you will want to talk to me and when you do, I will be right here waiting.”

Emma eyed him carefully before snatching the paper out of his hands and shoving him to the ground and crumpling it. “Only warning, stay away from me and my family or else,” she said giving him an extra shove before marching back to her car without giving the dark haired man a second glance.

       Emma put the car into drive with every intention of going home, but instead she found herself driving to the address on Wooster street. When she had taken the piece of paper she had planned on tossing it into the water, but something had stopped her and she pocketed it instead. At first she simply attributed the action to not wanting to pollute the water but curiosity was getting the better of her and eventually she had glanced at it.

_ 89 Wooster New York, NY, 10012 Apt. 407.  _ That was it, no name or even a hint as to who resided at the address, she cautiously made her way inside the building, for all she knew this was some sort of trap. There was no name listed under 407,  _ always a good sign _ , she thought before ringing the bell and receiving only silence in return. She debated whether to push further on her quest for answers or to ignore the pit in her stomach that was telling her to go upstairs, finally she decided. Making her way to the fourth floor and jimmying open the door she carefully looked around to ensure that the hallway as well as the apartment was deserted, she certainly did not need any surprises. The air in the apartment was stale as if it had not had a resident in quite awhile. She looked around searching for any kind of clue as to why the mysterious man in black had wanted her to come to this address, there was a bloody rag left forgotten on the couch but there was no sign of any struggle so clearly someone had not been in any type of immediate danger, and then there it was. On a pile of mail left on a dusty coffee table the name Neal Cassidy stuck out like a sore thumb. The same fear and anger that she had felt earlier on the boat began to bubble inside her and she started to flex her hand waiting for something, for what, she was not quite sure of. 

Continuing her trek through the apartment while resisting the urge to destroy the entire place she was suddenly overcome with a new type of fear and instantly bolted from the residence, a Leica camera with a strap bearing the name Henry tightly gripped in her hand.

       Emma sat in her car parked on the side of the street and glared at the building on Wooster. She had been waiting hours for any sign of the man who had fathered her and Regina’s son, but given the state of the apartment if Neal did reside there it looked like he had hightailed it quite some time ago. However, the rent was clearly still being paid somehow, otherwise all his second hand furniture would have been on the curb faster than you could say evicted. Thoughts were racing through her mind a mile a minute.

**How does he even know about Henry? The man in black must have been a private investigator, how else would he have known so much about them? If that bastard thinks for one minute that he is getting any type of custody or even visitation after everything he did. We will get a restraining order, take him to court if necessary.**

Emma glanced at the clock, two seventeen AM, “Fuck.” She should have been home hours ago and would have to resume her stake out of the man for the following morning, quickly putting the car into drive she made her way back to her own apartment. 

Emma opened and closed the front door as quietly as she could, she slipped off her shoes and began to tiptoe into the master bedroom. She glanced over at Regina who appeared to be fast asleep and changed into her pajamas quickly sliding under the covers to save her feet from the cold floorboards and pressed herself against her slumbering wife.

“You’re late,” Regina sleepily stated but with enough of a tone for the blonde to know she was in trouble.

“I know, it was an accident.”

“The deal was, you work past midnight you call,” she said, the agitation clear in her voice.

Emma internally disputed whether or not to tell Regina about Neal or more specifically Neal’s interest in Henry.

“I forgot to charge my phone, I would have called if not,” she said beginning to rub the brunette’s arm in what she hoped was a comforting manner. “Please don’t be upset.,” she said before kissing the other woman’s shoulder.

Regina let out a sigh and relaxed into her wife’s touch. She opened her eyes for the first time that night and turned to face the younger woman. 

“You know, this wouldn’t happen if we bought a car with a charging bay.”

“We can’t get rid of Herbie, Henry is supposed to learn how to drive in that car.” the blonde said trying to maintain the semblance that everything was normal. There was also the matter that the bug had been stolen, which she had never officially discussed with her wife. Getting rid of the car anywhere other than a junkyard raised the possibility of people asking questions of how she came into the car’s possession. 

“Henry is not getting behind the wheel of that tin coffin. When the time comes we are getting something with front and side airbags and who knows it’s New York City he may very well chose not to drive.”

Emma smiled, “Tin coffin? How is it any different if he rides around in it?”

“The difference is that I know he is safe when he is with you,” she smiled. “Unfortunately, I can not say the same thing about you if you don’t call me when you work late into the night.”

“Ah, and I was this close to getting away with that,” she said bringing her thumb and index finger close together. “I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. 

Regina seemed satisfied with the simple apology and lied her head down on Emma’s shoulder quickly falling back asleep. Emma marveled at how easily the disagreement had dissolved, what commonly turned into a full blown argument six months ago was now easily solved with an acknowledgment and an apology. But she was lying, again, and she hated herself for it. She pulled the darker woman’s body closer to her own placing a kiss on her forehead before falling into a restless sleep.

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT

       Emma sat in her car outside the marina conflicted about whether or not to approach the man in black. She tightly gripped photographs that she had picked up from the drugstore that morning, pictures that made absolutely no sense. Images of her and Henry that she could not remember posing for, people and places she had never seen before, and a town that, for all she could find, did not exist. The images caused nervous butterflies to move about her stomach and a burning sensation on the back of her neck. If she had simply been shown the photos she would easily have dismissed them as fakes but she had them developed herself and the negatives showed no signs of double exposure or tampering. She caught sight of the man on a moderately sized sailboat and stepped out of her car before cautiously approaching him. With each step her breathing intensified and the butterflies in her stomach had become a full blown knot tightening with every second.

“Swan,” the man said softly looking relieved that she had sought him out.

“Why didn’t you tell me that was Neal’s apartment?” She quickly asked.

“Given the tone of your voice, it is quite clear that you would have never gone if I had told you.”

“You’re damn right I wouldn’t have. So what, Neal hired you to come find me and you find Henry in the process. Well you can tell him that…

“No, I am not here about Neal. I already told you, your parents are in danger there is a new curse and it has brought everyone back to Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest.”

“Storybrooke? You mean the town in the pictures? News flash buddy it doesn’t exist and neither do curses or the whatever forest.”

"No you only think that because Regina gave you all new memories, this past year has all been based on lies."

The man once again bringing up Regina’s name set Emma on edge but was able to control her protective state this time.

“You are insane,” she said ignoring her inner voice that was telling her to trust the man standing in front of her.

“If you think I am lying then why did you come back here,” he said before pulling the small vile of potion from his pocket. “Deep down you know what I am saying is true and if you drink this everything will be revealed.”

Emma eyed the bottle in disbelief, “Basic rules of adulthood, never except a drink from someone when you don’t know exactly what is in it.”

“A wise credo, and if this were any other time I would agree but I am asking you to trust me and more importantly trust your gut.”

“I have a good life here, if what you are saying to me is true then I would have to give it up. Why would I ever do that?” The pictures once again caught the blonde’s attention and she looked down at them sadly. Not a single one depicted her and Regina together and she was afraid to acknowledge what that could mean.

“Perhaps the life you left behind is just as fulfilling.”

She fingered the small blue bottle desperately wanting to toss it to the ground, deny any and all claims this man was making, and go home and live happily ever after with her wife and son, but unfortunately found herself bringing the glass to her lips.

Emma was not sure what she was expecting when the liquid first touched her tongue but it certainly was not the bitter gritty taste that she experienced. The taste though was quickly forgotten when flashes of her past came rushing back; Henry Knocking on her door, true love’s kiss, Neal, Neverland, and finally crossing over the town line to escape a menacing cloud of magic.

She looked up feeling disoriented as if she had been in a dark room and only now stepping into the light.

"Hook,” she spoke with almost no emotion. The sailboat, she had thought she had been standing on, was in fact an ornate wooden ship with tall masts and its captain was not the permed, waxed mustached man from stories but instead a dark handsome figure.

“Welcome back Swan.”

         

       Emma and Hook made their way back up to her apartment pouring them each a glass of whiskey when they got inside.

“So what all do you know?” The blonde asked.

“Little, not long after we all returned to the Enchanted Forest your parents and I parted ways. Last I saw of them they were making there way to the Queen’s castle and I went in search of the Jolly Roger.”

The blonde felt an unfamiliar pang in her chest at the mention of her...her what she thought. That is when it dawned on her, in all the chaos of her memory returning she had forgotten, momentarily, the new memories she had been given and with them came the confusion.

**Oh Shit, what had they done.** In that moment every kiss and caress that had ever occurred between the two women was shoved front and center in her mind accompanied by a jolt of arousal as well as guilt.

Hook continued on with his story completely oblivious of the blonde woman’s inner turmoil. “After some months I happened upon a public house in which some drunken coger, let slip that he had a run in with a certain crocodile. With all the spare time I found myself having after the discovery of my ship I decided to reignite the flame of revenge, the false self sacrifice that separated you lot was enough of an encouragement."

“How,” she started in an attempt to push away the images in her mind, “How did you know to find me?”

Before he answered their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the front door being unlocked and in walked Regina and Henry, take out in hand preparing themselves for a _family_ dinner.

“Emma can you...Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”

“Regina, Henry,” Emma started not quite sure what she was going to say. “This is Killian, he is helping me with a case and he was actually just leaving,” she said quickly ushering the man out the door, whispering for him to meet her later before closing him out.

Emma looked towards her wife and son, having to remind herself once again that Regina was not her wife.

“Henry,” she said solemnly. “Why don’t you go wash up for dinner while I talk to your mom.”

“Is something wrong?” He asked quietly.

“No,” she stated with no more explanation before leading the brunette to their bedroom and shutting the door behind them.

“What is going on?” She asked not hiding the concern in her voice.

Emma stared at the woman, how do you tell someone you have shared a life with that it has all been a lie. She was instantly reminded of Tamara’s deception of Neal, realizing how painful it must have been for the man when it was revealed that she had been playing him the whole time.

“Can you sit down, please?”

Regina sat down on the edge of the bed nervously watching as the younger woman kneeled before her and grasped her hands in her own.

Emma gripped her hands tightly unable to meet the other woman’s eyes, “Have you ever heard of a town called Storybrooke?”

“Storybrooke,” Regina repeated shaking her head confused at the serious tone her wife was taking for a seemingly simple question.

"It's this little town in Maine," she continued to ramble on.

“What is going on Emma, you are acting very strange?”

The blonde nodded her understanding of the other woman's concern, “It’s about... my parents.”

“Your...your parents?” She said surprise and disbelief clear in her voice.

Emma finally looked into the brown eyes of the woman who not two hours ago she would have sworn up and down that she was in love with and, she couldn’t do it, she could not bring herself to wake the woman out of this dream life.

“Do you remember when I told you about the boy that found me on the side of the road, well he found me again and he had some information on who my parents are.” It was not technically a lie, August had found her in Storybrooke and tried to lead her to the truth about who they all were. She knew that the brunette would think that she was referring to Killian, but she had never specifically indicated that he had been the one. “So I need to go there.”

“You want to find the people who threw you away like trash?” The brunette asked angrily.

“I once told you that not knowing the truth about oneself was worse than knowing and not liking what you find, so I need to do this.” The irony of the situation was not lost on the blonde and she desperately tried to bury the feeling of shame; however, the next words out of Regina’s mouth replaced that feeling with one of pure panic.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No,” she said quickly, regretting it once she saw the hurt that crossed the woman’s face. “I just mean, that I don’t know how long this will take and we can’t pull Henry out of school and cart him off to Maine.” She knew that Henry’s education would never be compromised on and would take the bet on it being a bankable argument.

“Emma, you can’t ask me to let you go through this alone,” she said reaching to stroke the blonde’s face.

She indulged in the feel of the other woman’s hand for a moment before remembering how inappropriate it was to do this with the clueless woman and pushed it away.

“I have to go,” she said barely above a whisper.

Emma rose from her position off the ground and made her way towards the closet to pack a suitcase. While thumbing through her clothes Emma came across her red leather jacket, she had not felt the need to wear it for months now and for a moment she thought to put it on. Instead she turned to Regina who had not yet moved from her position on the bed and handed it to her.

“Your jacket,” she stated clearly surprised by the gesture.

“My armor,” she corrected. “I know it’s stupid, but I feel better knowing that it is here with you and Henry.”

“It’s not stupid, it’s sweet,” she said sincerely, leaning into the other woman for a kiss.

At the last moment though Emma moved away from her lips and placed a tender, non romantic, kiss on the brunette’s forehead, her heart breaking for the life she had lost.

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT, allusions to The Tower.

        With the Jolly Roger safely in the hands of Mr.Smee, Emma and Hook made their way to Storybrooke in her bug. They drove in a heavy silence for forty five minutes before the man attempted to talk to the woman. 

“Your boy, he seems well?”

She ignored the pang in her heart at the question, “Henry is good. He likes his school, he has a lot of friends, no girlfriends yet, not that he has told me about anyway,” she smiled.

"So he likes it out there?"

“Yea, sometimes on weekends we all go out together, to the park, or the theatre, or just hang out at the apartment.”

“Your’s and Regina’s apartment.” It was a statement rather than a question. The blonde took her eyes of the road for a moment and glanced at him, saying nothing and giving nothing away. “The comfortable domesticity of the situation was rather telling. You and Regina, the two of you are…"

“Not up for discussion,” she stated with no uncertainty.

“Right. It is just that I can’t help but notice that while we are traveling to Storybrooke, they are back in New York.”

“I said not up for discussion,” she said with a bite to her tone and they drove the rest of the way without bringing up either Mills again.

Despite a lack of actual conversation happening in the car, the same could not be said about what was going on inside of the blonde’s mind. For the entirety of the nearly nine hour drive, Emma went back and forth on why she had not told Regina what was really going on. The most obvious reason she could come up with being, that there was no way in hell the other woman would have believed her, not without magic anyway. But why did she care if Regina believed her or not? That answer was obvious too, if she had told the woman the truth and then left, Regina would have believed that she had abandoned her and Henry, because let’s face it leaving in the night to go save your parents, Snow White and Prince Charming, was right up there with  _ going out to buy a pack of cigarettes.  _ Then of course there was the question of what would happen after she had dealt with the Storybrooke problem. What would her life with Regina be like then? Would they even have a life together? Did she even really want to be with Regina or was she confusing her cursed feelings with those of her actual feelings? Would it be better for Regina and Henry to stay cursed and if so could she live with the knowledge that the two were living a lie? The only thing that kept the guilt from gnawing at her insides was the fact that she truly believed it would be better and safer for Henry if he were to stay as far away from magic as possible, as far away from Storybrooke as possible. Henry would always be safe with Regina, she would never doubt that ever again, and as long as Regina was in New York that was the best place for their son.

 

          David carefully made his way through the woods watching his steps so as not to make any noise that would alert the witch of his presence. For two nights there had been reports of suspicious activity and each night he had come up empty handed. That coupled with the Holly berry found in Regina’s or rather Snow’s office he was convinced that she was hiding out somewhere in the area, unfortunately he was investigating on his own as he had yet to find a viable deputy. He was roughly a mile into the forest, when a shadowy figure made itself known, only flashes at first but enough for him to track her. He slowly crept through the thick brush, he was having great difficulty navigating his way through though, as the clouds blocking out the moon made it difficult to see, and of course it did not help that the hooded figure seemed to be all around him, making the situation quite disorienting. He felt the burning sensation in the back of his neck that alerted him that he was indeed being watched, he quickly turned around and there standing before him was a tall and imposing figure with a malicious version of his own face. He looked on confused, “What are you?” He asked briefly wondering if this is what it would have been like if he and James had ever met face to face.

“I’m you,” the doppelganger replied, but the voice was deep and different from his own, almost demonic in nature. Then just as quickly as the altercation had began the other David reached out gripping Charming by the neck and bringing him skyward and then tossing him across the clearing they had found themselves in. He hit a large maple tree and though it was not enough to knock him out his back screamed in pain, he lied there attempting to get his bearings as well as coax the false David towards him, still confused about what was happening but not allowing any time to dwell on it. When the man was within striking distance he gripped the hilt of his sword and plunged the blade into his stomach, but it did nothing to slow down the nefarious figure. He quickly pulled it from the man’s torso realizing there was not a single drop of blood coating the steel before he was again picked up and thrown. 

The figure laughed revealing his own sword in the process, “Do you truly think you can defeat me? Face it you’re just a scared little shepherd playing dress up in a prince’s clothes.”

“I am not afraid of you,” David stated rather winded.

He laughed again, “Of course you are, fear has the telling stench of vulnerable weakness, and you reek of it, a sheep amongst wolves.” He swung out his own sword and David blocked it at the last moment but the strength of the phantom David was to much for the blade and the metal broke in two. 

“Give up shepherd boy, it’s easier.” He picked the man up off the ground pinning him up against a tree by his neck blocking his windpipe and stopping the oxygen from flowing to his brain.

David’s vision started to tunnel and he desperately tried to pry the man’s hand from his body. At first he could see the faintest of lights and then it grew brighter and brighter as it came closer towards him. This is it, he thought. He was dying. 

“Dad!”

He heard the panicked yell and was just able to focus his eyes enough to see the image, real or otherwise, of his daughter in front of the blaring headlights of her yellow bug.

Her voice, that was all it took. 

“I am afraid,” he rasped out. “Afraid I won’t be a good father, but I won’t let that stop me, because I would die for them.” He thrust the splintered blade of his sword into the phantom’s rib cage, instantly dropping from the stricken man’s hand. The other David gave a blank look of finality before bursting into a cloud of ash leaving Charming on the ground weakened but victorious. 

“Dad, Dad,” Emma continued to shout as she raced towards the man and helped him of the ground.

He stared at her in disbelief at first, not willing to trust his eyes, perhaps this was just another trick. But when he looked into the blonde’s eyes, so much like his wife’s, he knew, she was really back and he immediately enveloped her in his arms. 

 


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT

Emma lied in bed next to her slumbering mother, gently stroking the  _ older _ woman’s protruding stomach, remembering that this had always soothed Henry while she was pregnant. Emma had intended to go to Granny’s or at least sleep upstairs but when she and David had walked in through the door of the loft the raven haired woman had not been willing to let go of her, so instead they both fell asleep in her bed and David was left with upstairs. She had been able to sleep, at least for a few hours, but much like the night before it did little to relieve her fatigue. Still slightly in awe that she was going to be a big sister, she briefly wondered what it would have been like to have grown up with one another. In curse terms they were only two years apart but as the years past by she continued to grow while everyone else stayed the same. The children that she would have aged with, like Alexandra, would instead grow up and befriend him. More importantly he would be raised by their parents, she was not sure exactly how she felt about that, but knew she would do anything in her power to be there for Mary Margaret when little David, Seth, Jonathan, Leopold, or Anders arrived. 

She was pulled from her thoughts when the steady beeping of the alarm started to go off and not long after the thunderous chime of the clock tower. She reached for her phone instantly greeted with the false image of Henry and Regina and felt as her heart sank to impossible depths. She needed to call them but did not think she could handle hearing either of their voices at that moment and instead sent a text.

**Arrived safely, have set up at a B &B called Granny’s talk to u soon**

Emma nearly made the mistake of putting a heart in the text but settled with a  **give Henry my xo’s**

After a few minutes she received a response from the other woman.

**Glad to hear, make sure it stays that way, i will call you later xoxo**

Emma was wrong her heart sank deeper and she turned to embrace her mother again.

Almost a half hour later Emma finally climbed out of bed, knowing that the three of them needed to discuss what exactly was going on. The Charming family walked towards city hall, David had set up a town meeting in hopes that they could piece together any information. She took in her surroundings as they made the short trek to government building,  Any Given Sundae, Gold’s shop, the animal shelter, the clock tower it was all back, Storybrooke was really back. 

“Big news everyone,” boomed Leroy causing the entire room to turn their attention to the dwarf. “Emma’s back.”

As soon as the phrase was uttered all eyes rose to the blonde, surprise turning to hysteria as all the towns people, including many she did not recognize, demanded answers from her.

“Everyone please, calm down,” shouted Snow. She had been insanely happy when she woke up this morning but the situation was beginning to take its toll and the stress was most definitely not good for the baby.

“QUIET!” She shouted again this time her voice mimicking the echo that seemed to always follow Leroy.

“Everyone, now I know you are frightened but we can not lose our heads,” Emma said as calmly as possible. “Now please, if anybody remembers anything at all please form a single file line and one by one we will figure this out.”

“Screw that,” said Whale. "Like we don't know who is responsible."

"Yes the Wicked Witch, but because this is Storybrooke it is my understanding that green skin is not an option."

"Actually Baum never mentioned green skin so it is just as likely she never had it to begin with," chimed in Belle. Unbeknownst to her however a certain green eyed witch camouflaged amongst the rabble rolled her eyes. "Anyway we are talking about Regina, she is a witch after all and the Evil Queen she could very easily have made an appearance in Oz," the woman stated.

Anger pulled in the pit of Emma’s stomach. How could Belle of all people be so damning towards someone's past “Regina _ was _ the Evil Queen, she can’t also be the Wicked Witch.”

“And just why not sister? Incase you forgot Rumplestiltskin played several roles in different stories over the centuries.”

“Regina is not even in Storybrooke right now, trust me she is not responsible.”

 Zelena lost her smirk she had from all the Regina hate, _ What the hell do I have to do to get my sister to this poisoned well of a town?! _ She shouted to herself.  

“She cursed an entire town once to get what she wanted and she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again,” Granny said unconvinced.

“You’re wrong.”

“You sure about that?” She pressed again, “I don’t see Henry around either maybe this was all some super complicated plan to get him all to herself.”

Emma saw red, who did this old woman think she was, and then had to remind herself that the only Regina these people knew was the Evil Queen. They did not have the benefit of knowing the real Regina, but then again their entire year together had been built on false memories and it was quite possible that she did not know Regina either.

Granny for her part seemed to realize the misstep she had taken and sat back down allowing Archie to speak up.

“Please Emma if you know anything about Regina being behind this you can tell us we will understand.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Leroy gruffly.

          This continued on for an hour or so, everyone giving their own accounts of what had happened since returning to Storybrooke but unfortunately nothing prior to then and nothing David had not already informed her of. By lunch time she had declined two calls from Regina and had ignored the voicemail she had left and by dinner time through no fault of her own Emma found herself on Mifflin street staring up at the mayoral mansion. Without realizing it she had somehow made it up the walkway and was turning the doorknob. The frame was splintered and the lock was broken, she slowly made her way inside ready for danger and wishing she had grabbed her gun before leaving the loft. The house was dark and dusty, Regina would lose it if she saw the state of this place. But just like Neal’s apartment back in New York everything was in its place and looked as if it was just waiting for its owner to return. She walked throughout the lower level deciding that who ever had broken in had long since left and then made her way upstairs hanging a left into Henry’s room. She inspected each item on the walls and on the shelves realizing that this was the first time she had actually been in his bedroom. Illustrations cut from books decorated the walls, unsurprisingly all of fairytale characters, however, she had not been expecting as many clocks as there were though. Emma smiled at the stack of board games thinking about the austere mayor playing Balderdash and Stratego with the little boy. She left her son’s room and hesitated for a moment before taking the, what felt like a mile, walk towards the master bedroom.  She took in the tastefully decorated room, not nearly as full as Henry’s but still possessed a few knick knacks and trinkets. She fingered a little red clay handprint barring the words _For Mommy_ that rested on her dresser before making her way over to the woman’s vanity. The makeup and perfume were the same or at least similar to what she had back in New York, she felt oddly nervous about going through Regina’s things, as if Madame Mayor would burst through that door at any minute and scold her for trespassing. Then through the mirror the blonde caught the reflection of the other woman’s bed, a flush of heat came to her face as she gazed at it. _This is where she slept,_ she thought almost by accident. _This is where she slept with Graham,_ the same anger and jealousy that had been felt two years ago rose again but this time it was directed at the other person.  Against her better judgement and not wanting to admit it was a huge mistake, Emma lied down and inhaled deeply. She was amazed that even after having been obliterated by a curse for the better part of a year the pillows still smelled like the other woman.  As if somehow knowing exactly what she was doing, Regina chose that exact moment to call her cell phone, she looked down at the image of _her wife_ as it displayed itself on her screen. It was the fourth time she called that day and Emma knew she could not continue to ignore the brunette without causing serious concern, so she took a deep breath and swiped the green button. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She really doesn't have green skin in the book, she is a one eyed witch with a golden helmet.


	32. Chapter 32

“I love you.”

“Besure to kiss Henry goodnight for me. Bye.”

         Regina ended the call with her wife the uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong with the other woman causing a burning sensation in the back of her mind. This had become the norm for their telephone conversations, when her calls were not being ignored completely, ever since the blonde had left for Storybrooke over a week ago. Suspicion, unfortunately, was also present, thoughts of what exactly the nature of Emma’s relationship with this _Killian_ was and if the story she had been told about going in search of her parents had been true. Then of course the guilt of thinking Emma would lie about such a huge thing made her feel even worse. Most importantly though it did not go unnoticed by the brunette that every time she had since told Emma I love you, the other woman had not said it in return, not exactly anyway. She appeared to be trying everything in her power to not say those words specifically, on one occasion the blonde had simply replied _I know_ to the phrase. Although to be fair she had informed the younger woman that she and their son had been watching **The Empire Strikes Back** during the phone call. Even with the blonde’s actions being easily explained away as a joke the ease that she and her wife had been living in for the past few months was gone, and she could not understand why. Resentment for the person or persons responsible for Emma’s abandonment was steadily becoming an ever present fixture in her life, it was bad enough that they had destroyed Emma’s childhood, but now their mistake was impeding on her life and she simply was not going to have that happen. Regina remained sitting for a few more minutes contemplating her current situation before she got up and began setting the table for two and calling Henry down for dinner. She sat unblinkingly at the table just staring at the roast beef before Henry finally spoke up.

“Are you okay?”

Regina was startled out of her thoughts and smiled at the boy, “Of course honey, I was just thinking.”

“It’s just that you have been really quiet since ma left.” He said feeling a sense of familiarity at the conversation.

“I know, it has just been a very busy week.”

“You are worried, I can tell.”

“Finish your cauliflower dear,” she said not in the mood to engage with her son.

“But…

“Henry,” Regina warned, “I said finish your vegetables,” she said a little more harshly than she had intended, just another thing to add to her list of guilt. He quietly did as he was told and they finished the rest of the dinner in an uncomfortable silence.

        

         Emma ended the call with Regina once again feeling conflicted about what she was doing, every time she spoke to the other woman she tried to be careful about what she said, not wanting to cross a line that was not fair to the unconscious woman. That is what she had taken to calling Regina and Henry, while sleeping was a term that worked considering her parents story it did not quite feel right to her. She was just about to go out on patrol and started walking down the loft steps when she found Mary Margaret sitting on the couch, a shocked look on her face. Thinking she had been alone in the apartment Emma had her phone on speaker and now it was obvious that the other woman had heard everything and was now well aware of what had been going on between herself and Regina during the past year. When she had come to Storybrooke Granny was not the only one to notice Henry’s absence, Mary Margaret and David were understandably curious as to where their grandson was and she had simply explained that she and Regina thought it best for him to stay away and left out any pertinent details about her life in New York, specifically that neither Henry nor Regina had their memories back. She slowly walked towards her mother joining her on the couch for what she knew was most likely going to be an uncomfortable conversation.

“I suppose it is a good thing that she and I are not partial to phone sex,” she joked trying to relieve the tension.

Mary Margaret did not laugh, “Emma that is so wrong.”

The blonde gave the other woman a look of sad disappointment, she had not been expecting that.

Realizing what she had said had sounded like Snow quickly tried to clarify, “Emma no. That’s not… that isn’t what I meant. If that is the type of relationship you are interested in I am one hundred percent okay with that, it is just that, Regina of all women,” she said in disbelief. “It is hard to wrap my head around you being with someone who has caused our family so much pain and clearly she has no idea what is really going on, and you know she is kind of your grandmother and our family tree is complicated enough already.” In typical nervous Snow fashion the dark haired woman’s speech was quickening in pace as she neared the end of her sentence.

“But she isn’t that Regina in New York, she doesn’t have any of the baggage or the anger that made her create this place."

“So what, you are going to just keep lying and hope she won’t find out who she really is, who you really are, what happens after this is all over?”

“I hadn’t really gotten that far yet,” she said looking sad and confused. “We had a good life there, the three of us, the kind of life I always wanted to have growing up, the type of life I wanted Henry to have, that I want him and Regina to keep.”

“There were a lot of I’s in that sentence, not to mention that none of it was real.”

“It was real to me. At least at the time, lying in bed together, feeling her skin against mine. It felt real,” she said tears forming in her eyes.

Snow blushed at Emma’s words, receiving more insight into her daughter’s and step mother’s relationship than she thought was intended. She looked into her daughter’s eyes and saw a sadness in them, not believing what she was about to ask, “Are you in love with her?”

Emma sat for a moment before shrugging unsure of herself, “ Unconscious Emma was in love with unconscious Regina.”

Snow pulled Emma in for a hug her heart breaking at the difficult situation her daughter had been put in.

 

         Henry excused himself after finishing his meal and went up stairs to his room. Just like before, his mothers could not hide from him that something was wrong. His mom had been acting weird all week and his ma was barely talking to him on the phone and he was becoming angry. He lied down on his bed wondering what exactly was wrong and why his mothers were lying to him again. His anger at the situation was getting the better of him and he knew he needed help to sort through his emotions. He reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet only to pull out the white business card, as crisp as the day he received it all those months ago. Since starting junior high he had been talking to the school therapist but something about what was happening compelled him to contact his mothers’ former counselor. He carefully typed out the ten digits and focused intently as if debating whether or not to push the call button but eventually he found his thumb pressing down on the smooth screen.

“Hi, You have reached the office of Dr. Horatio Vogelsang, how may I help you?”

“Can I speak with the doctor please?" He asked politely.

“And who may I ask is calling?”

“Henry Mills.”

“Hold please.” Henry listened to tasteless call waiting music for almost fifteen minutes before he heard it transfer and the doctor’s voice could be heard.

“Doctor Vogelsang.”

“Hi,” he said suddenly nervous. “This is Henry Mills, you said if I ever needed to I could call.”

“Of course what can I do for you.”

“My moms, I know they haven't seen you in a while but something is wrong. My ma left and no one is telling me what is going on.”

“And when you say left what do you mean?”

“I am not sure, they both say she is working on a case in a town called Storybrooke but nothing more and I can’t find any mention of the town anywhere.”

“Uh huh, and you think that perhaps maybe they have separated.”

“I don’t know, but something has definitely happened between them.”

“Tell me what exactly you believe has happened?”

“I think they had a fight or something and there was this guy that I have never seen before and all of a sudden my ma is barely speaking to us, not even on Halloween and she loves Halloween all she did was like my Indiana Jones costume on facebook.

“And what about your mom, what about Regina? What has she been doing?”

“She is sad and has been much more cross with me these last two days, I think she misses her a lot.”

The doctor thought for a moment clicking his teeth in the process, “Storybrooke, you say. Well you are in luck I know exactly where the town resides.”

“You do,” he said sounding like he was in disbelief.

“Yes it is a lovely little town about fifteen miles Northwest of the Acadia National Park. If you are as concerned as you seem to be, perhaps you and your mother can pay a visit to Emma and they can sort this whole thing out. As soon as possible.”

“My mom would never take me out of school for a trip to Maine, especially if it is really for her.”

“Well then you will just have to find some way to get her there won’t you.”

“But I thought you said that it was not my responsibility to keep them together,”

“Getting them in the same place is hardly the same as pushing them into a relationship my dear boy. Besides occasionally people do need a nice push and I think you are just the type to do it,” the doctor said assuredly. “I am certain that if you are the one to make the first attempt, your mom will see that you are in the right.”

“Well if you really think it is best.”

“I do.”

“Thanks Dr. Vogelsang,” Henry said beaming before he hung up the phone and started forming a plan.

_"Getting them in the same place is hardly the same as pushing them into a relationship my dear boy. Besides occasionally people do need a nice push and I think you are just the type to do it, I am certain that if you are the one to make the first attempt, your mom will see that you are in the right.”_

_“Well if you really think it is best.”_

_"I do."_

_“Thanks Dr. Vogelsang.”_

Walsh listened to the joy and excitement in the boy’s voice and smirked before placing the heart back into its box.

“Thank you Dr.Vogelsang indeed.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT

        Henry grabbed his backpack and bid goodbye to his mother without giving away that the day was different than any other. Armed with a bottle of water, a compass, his gameboy, and a pillowcase worth of Halloween candy the boy made his way down the street in the opposite direction as his school bus stop.

        Regina had been working not quite an hour when her phone began to ring, she rushed to it hoping that for once it would be Emma contacting her, but her heart sank when she did not see the blonde’s name or image across the screen. The brief moment of despondency however was quickly taken over by concern when she recognized the number as Henry’s school. Hoping that her son had not been involved in another fight she quickly answered and was greeted by the school receptionist.

“Hello, this is Cleveland Middle School am I speaking with Regina Mills?”

“Yes, this is she.”

“We are just checking in, it seems we have no record of your son Henry attending his first two classes this morning.”

Regina felt her blood pressure rise, _Damn it Henry,_ she quickly replaced the shock of her son’s truancy and covered for him. He was going to be in enough trouble as it is when she got a hold of him there was no need for him to be punished for missing school by missing even more school. She ended the call, school being none the wiser to either Mills’ deception and made her way into the main living area of the house she was currently working on.

    “Walsh,” she called out. “Henry decided to skip school today so I am going to go check his hot spots,” she said the annoyance clear in her voice. “Can you hold everything down while I am gone?”

“Sure, but if you want, I have my car. It would be a lot more convenient than taking a taxi everywhere,” he smiled showing nothing more than altruism.

“That would be great,” she said sincerely.

         Mary Margaret was rearranging her apartment, no longer being able to stand the bed rest she was being forced to take. She was upstairs when she was startled by a loud buzzing coming from her left, it was Emma’s phone vibrating against the end table. The image of Regina and Henry flashed across the screen and she glanced over the railing towards her bathroom, the door was closed and she could hear the shower running. The raven haired woman internally debated whether or not to answer her daughter’s phone. On the one hand Regina would have no recollection of who she was and this may be her only chance to speak with her former step mother with out all the history wedged between them, but on the other hand she was reminded of how she had scolded the blonde for doing nearly the same thing in her phone conversations with the other woman just the night before, the decision was made for her as the ringing stopped and went to voicemail. Mary Margaret had spent the entire night thinking about what she had learned about Regina and Emma, wondering if there had been any possible hints in their past interactions that would have explained their association. They always had had a combative relationship, the type of relationship that everyone knew never worked out in real life but always appeared to show up in stories, but then she had to remind herself that they all were technically stories. Particularly, she thought of their time together in Neverland, when both women had accepted the other’s role and importance in Henry’s life. Regina and Emma had called him _their son_ there must have been at least some type of bond that had formed between the women. Ten minutes later a freshly showered Emma made her way upstairs and was greeted by her mother informing her of the phone call. After her talk with Mary Margaret the night before Emma had thought about what she was going to do with concerns to Regina, she knew in her heart what the right thing to do was but she could not even imagine how to begin explaining it to the other woman, but the blonde made herself a promise, tonight would be the night, she was going to tell the brunette everything.

   

          Two hours had passed and Regina was ready to have a nervous breakdown she and Walsh had checked the apartment, the arcade, the movie theatre, and the park but Henry was nowhere to be found. She continued to call Emma and was becoming angry at the younger woman ignoring her calls, of all the times in the world, Regina needed Emma now more than ever. It was nearing lunch time and the two returned to her apartment in hopes that the boy had come home for something to eat but unfortunately he was not there. A number of scenarios ran through the brunette’s mind each one more terrible than the last, completely unaware that at that very moment Henry was on a bus headed towards Bar Harbor or more accurately Boston and then Bar Harbor.

    “I think it is time I call the police,” she said nervously.

    “Hold on, are you sure you checked everywhere?” Asked Walsh with what appeared to be sympathy.

Regina gave a worried shrug, “I don’t know where else he could be, I guess we could check the library next but honestly what child plays hookie just to go to the library?”

    “What about Emma, has she heard anything?”

    “She is on a case out of town and I still can’t get a hold of her,” she answered exasperatedly.

Walsh took this news and decided to turn it to his advantage, “Are you sure? I mean you did say the two of you were having problems awhile back and now they are both gone.”

“What are you implying?” She asked slightly offended.

“Are you so blind to how she treats you? That day at the house she kept referring to you as if you were her possession. You and Henry both. You need someone who can treat you like the queen you really are,” Walsh said reaching out to stroke the woman’s face.

“No,” Regina shook her head vehemently denying his words, “She is not like that at all.” She said with conviction as she pulled away from the man’s embrace. Regina was starting to become alarmed by the man’s actions, Walsh had never showed this type of brash behavior before.

He looked angered by her rejection his features hardening, “Are you so sure that she would not come back and whisk him off to Storybrooke with her to get away from you?”

Regina looked at him confused before standing up and placing herself between the table and the man, “I never told you that Emma was in Storybrooke,” she said cautiously, as her heart rate increased she desperately wished Emma were with her.

Walsh stared at her for a minute before chuckling. “Of course you did,” he said giving a shadowed grin that did nothing to ease the brunette's apprehension. 

“No, I said she was out of town,” she said slowly taking steps backwards in an effort to reach her purse, wanting nothing more than to escape the increasingly hostile situation.

Walsh noticed the woman’s actions and knew that the ruse was over, he immediately lunged at the woman knocking them both to the floor, fear and panic flooded Regina’s mind as she desperately tried to dislodge herself from the man’s grasp.

His left forearm pressed against her neck, his right hand reaching for his pocket, while his body pinned her’s to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her purse and its contents sprawled across the floor, if she could just get to her keys she might have a chance. Unconsciously her hand gripped the air as if waiting for something to happen but nothing did, so instead she gripped it into a fist and began pounding on the man’s body. Walsh pulled a small blue vial from his pocket and wrenched open the woman’s mouth pouring the bitter gritty concoction down her throat. Regina started to choke, coughing and spattering small drops of potion, Walsh’s grip slightly loosened and she managed to knee the man in the groin finally giving her the opportunity to wriggle out of his grasp. She quickly tried to crawl away but he grabbed her feet and dragged her back towards him, but when he turned her back around he gave a loud pained scream, before he had pulled her back she had managed to grasp her keys, the keys that contained her canister of mace. With the man preoccupied with the stinging of his eyes Regina was able to get up and run towards her bedroom a task made all the more difficult by the disorientation she felt by what ever the liquid that Walsh had given her was. As she turned to lock the bedroom door she spared a panicked glance at the man his eyes had turned an unnatural shade of red and she was not sure if what she was seeing was reality or not but it appeared as if his body was morphing into that of something ungodly. She ran to the window hoping to make it down the fire escape but flashes of hearts, purple smoke, and a serpentine like man were flooding her mind. Then the door burst open sending splinters of wood flying everywhere but it was no longer Walsh who pursued her but instead a winged monstrosity and in that moment Regina remembered. The beast swooped at the woman knocking her across the room lunging towards her again Regina threw the first thing her fingers touched, which just so happened to be Emma’s red leather jacket. The article of clothing forcefully collided with the beast’s face and he struggled to free himself as his head had become entrapped by one of the sleeve openings. His struggles for freedom gave her the opportunity to grab a stiletto heeled shoe and with as much force as possible she impaled the heel into the ape’s chest. A horrid screech came from the beast as he fell to the floor blood pouring from the wound. Walsh lied there motionless still in his creature form as Regina collapsed to the floor herself from exhaustion, _it was over,_ she thought, _it was finally over,_ and then, sorrowfully, she realized how true that statement was.


	34. Chapter 34

Henry got off of the bus finally having arrived in Maine by four o’clock that afternoon and as he looked around at the bus terminal it dawned on him for the first time that he had no idea of where he was at. He pulled out his phone noticing the numerous calls from his mom, no doubt she knew of his absence by this point. Looking up his location he found he was less than two miles from Acadia, but still no mention of a Storybrooke anywhere, he figured that as long as he stuck to the main road he could not truly be lost and then started the long trek to his ma.

 

Emma readied herself for the conversation she was about to have with Regina, her stomach was in knots and for the first time in nearly fifteen years she wished she had a cigarette. She took a deep breath and turned back on her phone and her heart started racing when she did. Ten missed calls and three messages, all from Regina, something was wrong and she had stupidly turned off her phone. She quickly listened to the messages and was down the stairs and out the door before the last of them had ended, all she needed to hear was the panic in the dark haired woman’s voice as she said  _ Henry is missing.  _

“Emma what’s wrong?!” Yelled Mary Margaret after her but was not in a condition to keep up with her daughter, leaving David to chase after her.

“Emma!” He called out just as she closed the door to her bug. “What’s going on?!”

“I have to get back to New York, now!”

“What! Emma no, you know what will happen if you try to cross the town line.”

“I don’t care if the fucking witch sends a tornado after me, I am getting back home.” She said turning the ignition.

David tried to ignore the pang he felt when Emma referred to New York as home but pushed it aside for the moment and placed himself in front of the car. “Emma, you can’t just…”

“Henry is gone.”

“What?” He asked furrowing his brow. “What do you mean Henry is gone?”

“Henry is missing.” She said panicked. “Henry is missing and I have to find him.”

“Emma, calm down and think about what you are doing.”

"No, he is out there. He is out there all alone and I have to find him."

The man did not budge. "You shouldn't drive while your upset."

“Get out of the way David,” she warned.

“No I can’t let you. Just please turn off the car and we can think about this rationally. You Know what will happen to you once you get to the town line and then what good will you be to Henry.” 

Emma sat for a moment torn by her predicament before she finally turned off the ignition. She hated knowing that he was right, but how could she think rationally when Henry was out there all alone, not wanting to even acknowledge that his disappearance could have been caused by something else. _No,_ she thought. He had come to find her before that is what is happening, he is looking for her, she assured herself. _Please please please let that be what's happening._

 

         Henry pulled his coat tighter it must have dropped twenty degrees in the last hour and with the last bit of sunlight long since gone he knew it was only going to get colder. He had been walking for nearly three hours and he would be lying if he said he was not exhausted. The road had long since been deserted by any other cars and he was starting to feel frightened by his isolation, not to mention hungry. Who knew that living off of Apollo bars for the last twelve hours would not be filling? He walked over to a dead tree stump on the side of the road and swung his backpack off his shoulder. Sitting down to rest his aching feet he pulled out the ham sandwich he had bought from the bus terminal and just as he was about to take the first bite he heard the snap of a twig. Carefully turning around he looked in the direction of the noise seeing only the darkness of the woods. He squinted his eyes and slowly took a step forward, one by one he moved closer to the noise, unsure of exactly why he was doing such a thing, when out of the shadows a wolf appeared. Henry froze not sure of what he was supposed to do in this type of situation, the large grey wolf moved closer to him and bared its teeth. The distinct black and red eyes of the beast shone brightly in the moonlight and Henry was practically paralyzed with fear.  _ Maybe he is just hungry _ , Henry thought and cautiously moved to throw the sandwich towards him, but he barely gave it a second glance when tossed in front of him. Once again the animal bared its teeth, this time adding a low growl for good measure and all Henry could think to do was run. He felt the wind whip against his face as he sprinted through the dark forest desperately praying to who ever was listening that he would not fall. Without looking back he knew the creature was chasing after him and he was uncertain how much longer he would last, the burning in his lungs was becoming almost unbearable. It felt as if his heart would burst out of his chest when he suddenly had to jerk back, narrowly avoiding the edge of a cliff Henry fell backwards to the ground and instead of darkness, was faced with the first glimmers of civilization just at the bottom of the clearing.  Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the wolf had caught up with him and he quickly shut his eyes as tightly as he could, waiting for what he knew was the end. But the bite never came. He slowly creaked one eye open and found that the wolf was only an inch from his face, the creature approached the boy and took in his scent before turning and quickly making his way down the hill. Henry sat there in the dirt trying to process what had just happened simply not able to make any sense of the peculiar yet terrifying incident. After his heart had returned to a normal pace he stood up dusted himself off and started making his way towards the town.

          Emma and David sat in Granny’s, the woman once again attempting to contact both her son and Regina, receiving only voicemail recordings in response.  For almost a half an hour she had been trying to reach _anyone_ for any type of news regarding her family but was left with silence and the lack of information not being shared was killing her. _God, how could she have done this to Regina for well over a week,_ thought Emma. 

David watched his daughter curiously yet concerned, her distress was evident and he was unsure of how to comfort her.

“Emma?”

She finally looked up from her phone giving the man her full attention for the first time since entering the diner.

He reached for her hand, “The first time I laid eyes on you I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Even more beautiful than your mother on our wedding day.” He smiled. 

She smiled back sadly at him and gripped his hand tightly.

“It shattered my heart to put you in that wardrobe, but as terrified as I was, I had faith that everything would work out and as heart broken as I was to see you go a calmness came over me when they burst open that door and you were gone.”

Emma was not sure how she was supposed to feel about the revelation and let her confusion be known.

“I can’t tell you not to be afraid but Henry is strong, just like you, and he WILL be okay.”

Emma gripped the man’s hand even tighter willing herself to absorb some of his confidence.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes but David could no longer keep his thought bottled away. “Emma? Back at the car, you called New York home.”

The blonde had not been aware of the freudian slip and looked away not wanting to face her father. David was once again faced with his fear of inadequacy as a parent but was reminded of his experience in the woods and pushed on, trying to gain some understanding as to what her life had been while in New York.

“It is just that you said it with such ease. Were you thinking about going back after all of this?”

Just as Emma was contemplating trading in her hot cocoa for an Irish coffee the bell to the diner rang alerting everyone to a new patron. Emma looked up and directed her attention to the door relief, joy, and anger washing over her all at once.

“Henry.”

“MA!” Henry shouted, relief and excitement in his own voice.

 


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT

       After several hours of driving Regina had finally made it to Maine, courtesy of Walsh whom was currently residing in the hatchback of his Honda Civic. Back at the apartment, when the full weight of the situation overcame her, Regina had felt numb. The past year in New York, her life, their marriage, everything, it was all a lie. _Oh god what had they done,_ she thought as images of her and Emma’s entire _relationship_ flashed before her and suddenly it all made sense, the emotional distance the blonde had put between them, the avoided phone calls, and most importantly the return to Storybrooke. Emma was awake. _Storybrooke,_ she thought almost in a daze, _how could it be back?_ **Something must have gone wrong with the spell,** she said to herself while attempting to stand up unsteadily at first. **But that wouldn’t make sense, if you had failed either way the town would be a forest right now.** She moved over to Walsh slowly and lightly nudged him with the tip of her shoe ready to strike again if she saw any signs of movement, but there were none, he was dead and most definitely not human. “Clearly you have something to do with what is going on,” she said trying to think back if there had been any clues from the past that would have revealed his identity. Immediately dismissing the idea as she would not have remembered at the time if he had anyway, but she did remember how all of this started and that gave her the answer as to where she would find Henry. So, just as she had done thirty years earlier with Kurt Flynn, Regina wrapped the dead body of Walsh in a carpet checking to ensure that no blood or body parts were visible and dragged him towards the elevator. She tried to remain calm when a resident of the fourth floor had joined her, the scenario looked suspicious enough even with it not being a human body, she would most certainly be met with questions if people were to find her carting around a dead winged monkey. She relaxed again when he stepped off at the second floor gym and continued to make her way down to the parking level, relieved to see that there was no one in sight. She had found Walsh’s keys on her kitchen floor amongst what was left of his shredded clothes and loaded him up before making her way to the driver’s seat. Regina was pulled from her memory when her surroundings started to look familiar, the road had been deserted for nearly twenty minutes and she knew she was getting close. Emma had called her phone three times in the last hour and a half leaving messages that confirmed what she had already assumed, or at least had wanted to believe. Henry was safe and with her in Storybrooke.

 

        After an overwhelming reunion and another unanswered call to Regina, Emma sat her son down at a booth and placed a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings in front of him, to which he eagerly dug into. David had discretely left in order to move Emma’s belongings from the loft and into a room in the bed and breakfast leaving mother and son alone. She sat across from him trying to reign in her anger that had stemmed mostly from fear before she laid into him about how stupid and dangerous of a stunt he pulled had been. The worst of it was that this was exactly what the boy had done when they first met and the difference to how she feels now versus then was staggering. The first time she had seen Regina was in a moment of pure relief at the sight of her son and for the first time Emma realized how horrible of a day that must have been for her and now it was happening all over again.

“Henry,” she said taking a deep calming breath

He looked up unsuspecting.

 “How could you be so reckless?” She hissed. “Do you know how terrified your mother and I were when we didn’t know where you were?”

His eyes dropped to the floor unprepared to handle his mother’s anger, she had never been this angry at him before, not even after his fight. “I didn’t mean to make you scared,” he mumbled barely above a whisper.

“Look at me.” She said sharply his eyes immediately returning to hers. “What you did was so unbelievably dangerous, what if something had happened to you?”

“But I was careful,” he said not wanting to bring up the wolf incident with his blonde mother for fear of further repercussion.

“That is not the point Henry, you could have been seriously hurt or worse. Do you realize that not all adults are out to help children?” She said trying to give the boy a censored dose of reality while trying to ignore memories of certain bail jumpers she had tracked down as well as an overly affectionate foster father whose house she had spent a total of one night in before running.

Henry looked down again, clearly it had never crossed his mind that someone would purposely try to hurt him while on his excursion.

Before she got a chance to lay into him some more the bell to the diner rang and the blonde was faced with the one person she was most terrified to see in that moment. “Regina,” she whispered causing their son to turn around.

“Henry!” The brunette cried out before quickly making her way to the booth and embracing the small boy tightly.

“I’m okay mom, really.”

“What were you thinking coming out here by yourself?” Her voice going from soft to stern. “I would not have been able to handle it if something were to have happened to you.”

“He’s alright,” Emma said bringing the brunette’s attention to herself for the first time since she walked into the diner.

Regina turned her eyes to look directly into the blonde’s and in that simple action Emma knew Regina was awake. _Shit_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will be up by the end of the day :)


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own OUAT. I also posted chapter 35 today so if you did not get the chance to read it yet please go back one chapter.

       After putting an exhausted Henry to bed Emma and Regina finally had their private reunion, the brunette not looking particularly pleased.

“So I am guessing you are aware of everything by this point?”

“Yes,” she said curtly.

“Do you mind if I ask how?” Emma asked not feeling particularly brave while faced under the brunette’s scrutiny.

“I drank a potion.” She said not bothering to elaborate on where she received said potion. “Is it safe to assume the same goes for you?”

She nodded, “Killian, he brought one for me to take.”

“But Captain Guyliner did not think to get enough for the three of us, how convenient,” Regina said not wanting to admit to herself that she was feeling jealous.

She ignored the insult made against the pirate as it was neither here nor there. “No one here remembers anything that happened after you broke the curse, he brought me back to put a stop to what is going on and to hopefully shine a light on their missing year in the Enchanted Forest.”

“Let me guess, it has something to do with the Wicked Witch?”

“How did you know?” Emma asked clearly confused by Regina’s knowledge of the witch.

“Walsh. He sort of, turned into a flying monkey," she said almost embarrassed.

For the first time that night Emma really looked and Regina, noticing for the first time the bruising and scratches that decorated the other woman’s neck instantly becoming concerned. “Are you alright?” She asked reaching for the brunette, who quickly moved out of reach as if she feared being burned.

“I am fine and I took care of it.”

Emma felt a surprising amount of anger. All this time she had been worried about the possibility that Walsh had wanted to sleep with Regina when in fact the reality of what was going on was much worse... **wait what did she mean by took care of it?**

“Took care of it? What does that mean exactly?”

“It means he is in the trunk of his car right now.”

Emma’s eyes bulged, “You killed him and you brought him here, all the way from New York?! Regina What were you thinking!?”

“I was thinking that I couldn’t very well leave him on our bedroom floor could I? You do realize that death eventually starts to rot and calls attention to itself don’t you Miss Swan?” Regina said sounding annoyed.

They were back to Miss Swan again, “Yes I do,” she said trying to remain calm and remember her TASK. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean for it to come out sounding like that, it’s just that if someone had found you with him…” Emma did not want to think about the dangers that would follow revealing any type of true magic to the outside world.

“So who does know about our _life_ in New York?”

“Just Hook and Mary Margaret.”

Regina’s annoyance returned, “Great, if you told her that means that everyone in town probably knows our business by this point.”

“No, I was talking to David tonight and he doesn’t know anything. He would have been the first person to know if she had said anything,” Emma replied confidently.

Regina seemed satisfied enough with the other woman’s logic and dropped the topic of conversation. They sat in silence for a few moments not exactly sure how to start the next part of their conversation when finally Emma began again.

“Regina about this last week and all your calls.”

Regina looked up intently, very interested in what the blonde woman had to say about her behavior.

“It felt wrong, being affectionate with you, while I knew and you didn’t. I just didn’t know how to handle the situation so I ignored it, I ignored you and I am sorry.”

Regina sighed, “You ignoring me and leaving me in the dark, really hurt Emma.” The blonde nodded and looked away in shame. “But,” the brunette started, “I understand why you did it, and, I will admit that the situation is complicated.”

“Thank you,” she said sincerely wanting to reach for the other woman’s hand but knowing that would only further complicate the situation.

“You know the ironic thing, I had decided to tell you about everything tonight and then when I got your messages about Henry all of that went on the back burner. I was so scared when you told me he was missing.”

Regina nodded not only did she have the fear of today but also the memory of the fear she had felt two years ago when she realized Henry was gone and also when she realized he had left Storybrooke. It was the first time that it dawned on her that Henry could very easily leave her if he wanted to.

“What _are_ we going to do about Henry?” The older woman asked.

Emma thought for a moment, “I think it’s safest if we don’t tell him what is going on, it will make taking him back to New York easier when this is all over.”

“You want us to go back to New York? Emma, Henry nearly fell apart when he thought we were getting a divorce what is going to happen when we get there and we can’t be together?”

Emma and Regina ignored the pang in their hearts at the prospect of not being with the other, both quickly masking the truth from their hearts’ desire.

“He could have a normal life there, one with no memory of Peter Pan attempting to rip out his heart or of his grandmother trying to kill his grandfather in order to become the next Dark One.”

“No, I lied to him for ten years and I can’t do that to him again, I won’t do that to him again.”

“If we tell him the truth he is going to think we are lying to him anyway, and then he will really be upset.”

Regina looked both hurt and concerned, clearly conflicted about what to do, a look Emma did not enjoy and one that she wanted to take away.

Finally she spoke up again resigning herself to making Regina feel more at ease, “We have been trying to find a way to bring back everyone’s memories and now that you are here maybe you can find a way to replicate the potion. Once we have it we can give some to Henry, I promise, but we just need to hold off on telling him for just a little bit, just until we can give him the potion so he will understand. Then when this witch problem is dealt with we can make a decision on our living arrangements.”

Regina thought it over for a moment before nodding in agreement, to which Emma smiled sympathetically.

“It has been a really stressful day,” said the blonde. “I’m sure we will both feel better after a good night’s sleep and then we can start fresh in the morning, okay?”

“Okay,” but then Regina thought of another problem they were going to have to face and nervously asked the blonde, “Emma, what are we going to do about tonight’s sleeping arrangements?”

 


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait but now that everyone is officially in Storybrooke I started rewatching the 3b story arc. This is part one of chapter 37 and you should expect part two soon. I do not own OUAT.

        The first thing Regina was consciously aware of the following morning was the aching pain in her back, the second, that she was alone. The night before, with Henry nestled in the room’s only bed, she and Emma had laid out a blanket and lied down together on the floor. There was a respectable amount of space between the two women and it did not escape eithers’ attention that this was exactly how they had spent their first night as a  _ married couple  _ back in New York. The brunette, per usual, had woken up prior to the alarms ringing but Emma on the other hand who had never voluntarily woken up before eight thirty was nowhere to be found, but given their situation she was not surprised. She tried to ignore the emptiness that she felt at being uncharacteristically abandoned so early in the morning and had to remind herself that there was no reason for her to feel that way as she and Emma were not really together.  Regina stood up the pain and stiffening of her back intensifying, she noticed that Henry was still fast asleep and decided to let him stay that way for the time being as she started getting ready for the day. 

The blonde on the other hand had woken up at first light and had quickly made herself presentable for the day without having to awkwardly interact with Regina, she was still unsure of where exactly she stood with the brunette. A stance that was made all the more complicated by the fact that when she woke up and looked towards the still sleeping woman she had wanted to kiss her _._ **The feelings you are having are not real** _,_ she tried to convince herself. **They are just left over memories from the spell and you are confusing them with real life**. She supposed it could have been worse though, for the last few months while sleeping Emma would usually end up curling up either against or on top of the other woman. Her subconscious was at least able to control her body and she had stayed on her side of the blanket. She made her way down to the diner which was letting the first of its customers in for the morning and it would not be long until all of Storybrooke knew of its conjurers return. Maybe there was a way to stop them from finding out, at least until we get their memories back. They all were so quick to blame Regina it would be better if people didn’t see her right now, wouldn’t it? She quickly dismissed the idea though, knowing that the proud woman would not allow herself to be blamed for something she did not do. She ordered a hot cocoa for herself and waited for the inevitable shit storm that would come when her _ex wife_ was faced with the townspeople.

        When Regina did finally come down to join her, all in the diner went quiet as nine pairs of eyes immediately focused on the brunette. When realizing all eyes were on her she arrogantly held up her head and made her way towards Emma’s booth without giving anyone a second glance. Seeing right through the other woman’s mask the blonde carefully slid a steaming cup and its contents towards her.

“I bought you a coffee.”

“Thank you,” she said sitting down trying to ignore the whispers she was the subject of and the feeling of being glared at.

Hearing the whispers as well Emma quickly spoke up in order to take the woman’s attention away from the diners’ discussions of her, “So I thought I would contact Henry’s teachers and have them email his assignments. There is no reason this has to be a vacation for him, especially after what he did.”

Regina nodded but it was evident to the blonde that she was only half listening.

She cleared her throat and started again, “I figured you could go by your place and pick up some clean clothes for you and Henry, apparently a bag of candy took priority over clean socks,” she said attempting a joke but still no reaction from the woman who was too preoccupied with the whispers.

“You shouldn’t have any trouble, everything is right where you both left it.”

That did however gain a response from the darker woman who looked at her curiously and then accusingly, “You were in my house.”

“Just to fix the lock,” she quickly explained trying to give an answer to something that was clearly not phrased as a question. “I noticed that the door was broken when walking by and went to check if anything had been stolen. Because I’m the sheriff.”

“I am fairly certain that not showing up to work for nearly a year gets you fired from being sheriff.”

“What about your job?” She asked trying to sway the conversation away from her less than innocent perusal of the mayoral mansion. “Shouldn’t you contact your crew and clients, I’m sure all those young rich socialites will be concerned if their bathroom vanity is not just exactly so. Not to mention the fact that the man responsible for making their coffee tables is currently festering in the trunk of his car.” 

Before Regina got a chance to respond the two women were cast in the shadow of Dr. Whale who leaned into the table getting into the brunette’s face.  _ You would think he would know better by now _ , thought Emma as she watched the other woman’s eyes defiantly set their site on the man.

“Well, look who has finally made her grand appearance,” he said smiling snidely.

“Don’t you have a grave to pilfer somewhere?”

“Oh I think we both know I am exactly where you want me to be right now.”

“Get over yourself Whale, I had nothing to do with this.”

“Take a look around, once again I am the only one not pulled from the Enchanted Forest. Why is that Regina?”

“I don’t know, maybe you managed to step on a few green toes during your missing year.”

“No such thing as green in my realm.”

“What a shame, it is so much more preferable to bleach blonde,” she stated, giving the slightest glance towards the man’s hair.

Anger flashed across his face and Emma decided to end the confrontation before it went any further.

“Alright Whale that’s enough.” Emma said standing up and pushing the doctor back. “I told you before, Regina didn’t have anything to do with what has been going on here.” Then the blonde had another idea. “In fact we were working on a potion all last night, a memory potion, by this time tomorrow it will be finished and then we will be able to figure who is behind this.”

“Like anyone in this town would take something she handed them.”

“Well why don’t you go and make yourself useful by spreading around the plan. Maybe then we can find a few brave volunteers.”

Whale continued to glare at Emma clearly wanting to say more, but with a final glance towards Regina he turned in a huff and marched off.

“What were you thinking telling him that?” Regina asked when the younger woman returned to her seat. “We have no idea if we can even replicate that potion.”

“This past week I have been trying to suss out who the witch was with no success, but I was thinking maybe we don’t have to figure it out. All we have to do is make her think we are close to finishing the potion and wait for her to slip up. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure, unlike you I am not as well versed cons.” Regina had not intended for her response to come out as bitter as it had but hearing the blonde woman talk of deceptions had reminded her of the past week.

“Regina you spent nearly twenty nine years deceiving an entire society, not to mention the thirteen years you spent playing the  _ dutiful _ step mother to Snow White.” Emma replied equally as bitter.

An awkward silence came between them. Both instantly regretting what they had said and unsure how to rectify the situation the two women sat there for a few moments until they were once again cast in shadow, however this time the welcomed form of Henry was the one joining them.

“Good morning,” he said sliding in next to Emma.

“Good morning,” they both said Emma leaning in to kiss his head. Both women waited with bated breath, but to Regina’s disappointment and Emma’s relief nothing happened. The blonde saw the sadness return to the other woman’s face, “Henry, why don’t you go buy yourself a hot cocoa and a bagel to go,” Emma said pulling out a five and handing it to the boy before he made his way to the counter out of earshot of his mothers.

“Mary Margaret said she would watch him today, David and I are going out to the woods to take care of Walsh, go get a change of clothes and you can meet us out there in an hour," she said as she stood up.

“What about the witch?”

“Like I said before, we wait until she reveals herself.”

 


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disney owns it all.

 

        “David can I ask you something personal?” Emma asked nervously while she and her father were shoveling dirt from the ground. The clearing was deserted and showed no signs of life, it was hard to believe that such a strenuous fight had taken place there barely over a week ago.

“Of course, you know you can talk to me about anything.”

Emma seriously doubted he would want to hear about the qualms of her, sort of, love life with Regina, but he had at least had somewhat of a similar situation to her own.

“Back during the first curse, when you were with Catherine, did you feel anything for her?”

He stopped mid shovel, that clearly was not the question he was expecting. “That is a very specific question,” he asked fairly nervous himself.

“I know, but it is important.”

He stopped shoveling completely this time and gave his daughter his full attention, “Honestly, no.” Realizing that his wording came off fairly blunt he began again, “I mean, the memories of the feelings were always there, but something about our marriage just didn’t quite feel right.” 

“There was a point when she thought she might be pregnant though, obviously she had a reason to think that.”

David gave a look that seemed to be a cross between embarrassment and shame, “We tried to make it work, but it just didn’t feel natural to be with her if that makes any sense.”

“Yea it does,” she said thinking about the first few months she had spent in New York. What David was saying could certainly describe what she had been feeling in the beginning but not the feelings she was having now. “So, no confusion at all?”

“Oh there was certainly confusion, and guilt, it’s strange but even now that I know that she and I were never actually married I still have regrets about how I handled the situation with your mother.”

Emma nodded and returned to her shoveling, the conversation cemented her concerns, her feelings for Regina were not simply from residual effects of the spell but of true feelings that she had formed for the woman, feelings that may not be reciprocated.

“Was there someone in New York?” David asked.

“There was someone.” Trying to give as little way as possible.

“Is that why you are thinking about going back?”

“It’s difficult to explain.”

“Well if they are occupying this much of your mind since leaving, I would talk to them sooner rather than later.”

“And what if they don’t feel the same way about me as much as they did about cursed me?”

“Then it will hurt, but if there is even the slightest possibility that they are your true love, then you owe it to yourself, and to them, to find out.” Then, almost as a protective after thought David asked, “He’s not a criminal is he?”

Emma gave a faint smile, “No,  _ he _ isn’t a criminal.”

“Good, that’s good,” David said before returning to his shoveling.

 

        After waiting in the woods for close to two hours with no sign of Regina, Emma had started to become worried, especially now knowing that the Wicked Witch had been spying on them from nearly the beginning during their time in New York. The younger Charming left the older to fill the last bit of the makeshift grave and went in search of the missing woman. Emma made her way through Storybrooke in David’s truck, unwilling to drive Walsh’s car any further than she had to, and as she turned the corner onto Mifflin street she was relieved to see her yellow bug in the house’s driveway. Like the week prior she let herself in and looked around, nothing appeared to be disturbed and she called out to Regina. Receiving no response she called out the brunette’s name again finally hearing a low “I am up here,” in response.

Making her way towards Henry’s old bedroom, Emma found the woman gracelessly sitting on the floor clutching a framed photo of their son at a much younger age. “What are you doing down there?”

“The better question is what are you doing here? Again.” Regina asked not looking up attempting to hide the remnants of tears in her eyes. 

“You were supposed to meet us over an hour ago, I was starting to get worried.”

“Sorry, I hadn’t realized what time it was, and there isn’t any need for you to worry Miss Swan, you have no obligation to me.”

“Your Henry’s mother, that is reason enough,” Emma said as she took a seat next to Regina. “Really, what have you been doing?”

“Just thinking. Do you remember when Henry was in the first grade and he would sneak cookies into that little fort he made under my desk?”

Emma smiled looking at the picture of the little boy, “Yea, he always had to have an extra one set out for his stuffed Tigger.”

“So you have that memory as well, good to know that the spell kept continuity.” 

Emma frowned, “Just because the memory isn’t real doesn’t mean you can’t keep it. It’s like a nice dream you want to remember.” 

“That is easy for you to say, I was reminded of what Snow did to my mother and what I did to my father, you gained a family with the return of your memories.”

“That is not fair Regina,” Emma said slightly offended. “I lost things too. Do you know how much I wanted to ignore this place and stay in New York with Henry,”  _ and you,  _ her mind added.

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because, despite the fact that Henry is a twelve year old little boy who is prone to doing dumb twelve year old little boy things, like wanting chocolate milk in his cereal and getting into fights, I can’t help but hear his voice as my conscience, and he was saying a hero wouldn’t ignore what was happening here, a hero would go back.”  

Regina turned her site back to the photo and meekly smiled, knowing that it was exactly what Henry would say. 

Emma and Regina sat in silence for a few more moments the younger woman wanting desperately to talk about their current situation but could neither find her voice nor her nerve. Eventually though the blonde did speak up after noticing the other woman shifting about with a grimace on her face. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, it’s just my back is a little stiff. Cedar is not the most comfortable or supportive of hardwoods.”

Emma smiled, “I’ll get you a bed.”

“I would prefer it if I could just stay in my own house.”

Emma lost her smile of amusement and turned it into one of sympathy, “I know you would but we….” she was interrupted by a loud ringing.

“That is the security alarm.” Regina stated. “Someone’s breaking into my office.”

“Get your coat,” the blonde said pulling out her gun. 

Emma made the drive in half the time and when they reached town hall a shadowy figure could be seen through the window moving about the office. “Pretty brazen of her, breaking into your office in broad daylight,” Emma whispered as they moved towards the entrance door.

“Head up to my office, I will be right behind you.” 

“Are you sure she won’t be able to get out?” 

“I am going to seal the building with a blood lock, it will be able to keep people out or in at my will, not even Gold is powerful enough to break blood magic.”

“Alright,” Emma said taking the safety off of her gun and making her way up the steps careful not to draw any attention to herself. She could hear sounds of someone clearly ransacking the place and she carefully opened the door before bursting in.

“Don’t move!” She shouted and pointed the gun at the darkly dressed woman noticing just a hint of alabaster skin as well as an emerald medallion hanging about the witch’s neck just before she vanished in a puff of smoke. 

Not ten seconds later Regina burst into the office ready for whatever fight was sure to come but found only Emma in the room.

“What happened,” she asked confused. “Where is she?”

“Gone,” Emma answered annoyed and defeated.

“Gone,” she creased her brow. “What do you mean gone?”

“I mean gone, like that purple teleporting thing you do, only in green.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense, it is impossible to break through blood magic.”

“Well she found a way, which means we are dealing with someone more powerful than we thought.”

“I don’t care how powerful this witch is, she invaded my space and that simply is not something I will tolerate. We are going to find out exactly how and why she had gotten in here.”

 

       Regina and Emma spent several hours combing through the darker woman’s former office as well as her vault for any hint as to how this new witch had broken out of a blood lock, but came up empty handed with each new spell. Although Emma thought she could have been of more help to the other woman if Regina would just let her try, after all she too was technically a witch, a novice, but still magical. Eventually though it was time to turn in for the evening and as promised Emma rented another room from Granny and Red right next door to the one she had given to Henry. When Regina had been informed of the second room rented by Emma, she had anxiously been anticipating whether or not the younger woman would join her in the room’s only bed. She somewhat disappointedly received her answer as she slid under the covers and watched as Emma made her own sleeping arrangement, similar to the one they had shared the previous night.

As the two women lied in silence, Emma reluctantly decided to at least partially broach the subject that had been ignored between them that afternoon. 

“You weren’t the first woman I was ever with.” Emma rushed out and after receiving no response from Regina the blonde really thought about what she had just said.

“Sorry,” she said becoming embarrassed. “For some reason that sounded a lot more reassuring in my head.” 

“Eloquence never was one of your strong suits.” Regina replied. “It must skip a generation.”

Emma gave a chuckle, “I guess that means we can expect Henry to become a professional speechwriter after he graduates from Dartmouth.” 

Regina laughed her uncomfortableness starting to ease. 

“What I meant was, I remember you saying that you didn’t create scenarios for peoples’ lives, so I just want you to know that the spell didn’t make me do anything that I hadn’t done already or wasn’t interested in before.” Emma said becoming serious again. “I know you can’t tell me why the spell happened the way it happened, but I am sort of glad that it did, it gave me the opportunity to understand you better and I know that if anything were to ever happen to me, Henry would continue to thrive.”

“Thank you,” Regina said sincerely knowing that if the scenario was switched that she would feel equally as confident in the blonde’s ability to raise Henry on her own. Her ease quickly disappeared though as the blonde uttered her next question.

“What about you? I mean I know there was Daniel but had you ever, with another woman?”

Emma was being fairly open with her, she thought back to all their sessions with Dr. Vogelsang and how he had gotten them to share with each other every tiny aspect of their lives, or at least what they had thought were their lives. 

“You were the first,” she said just above a whisper. “It wasn’t exactly done in the Enchanted Forest, not while I was of a courting age at least and if I had ever verbally expressed an interest, hypothetically speaking. Well my mother would have put a stop to it.”

Emma felt her heart sink in her chest, she had forgotten that while Regina had grown up with both of her parents she, much like herself, had not had a solid maternal support she could have relied upon. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” she said attempting to hide the still hurt feelings that would never be resolved between herself and her now deceased mother.

Once again all was quiet in the room, long enough for the blonde to believe that the other woman had fallen asleep, but just before she drifted off herself she heard the faint sound of her voice.

“Emma.” 

“Yes?”

“If you are uncomfortable, you don’t have to sleep on the floor. Not if you don’t want to.”

Emma stayed frozen in her spot for a few moments before slowly rising from the floor and sliding in next to the other woman, content for the night. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a struggle to get this chapter out as my computer is being a d*ck and shutting off every twenty minutes or so and not charging . So I hope you all enjoyed it.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT.

        Similarly to the morning before Regina woke up alone,  however this morning was different as she detected the small note written in Emma’s scrawl informing her that the blonde had gone to meet her parents at their loft. The brunette slowly rose, her back already feeling the healing affects of actually having a mattress, and as she made herself presentable for the day she thought back to the night before when she and Emma had innocently shared the bed with each other. It wasn’t terrible she admitted to herself. A sense of normalcy had overcome her once she felt the familiar dip in the mattress as the blonde climbed in next to her. It had not been there when they were together on the floor, she guessed it was due to the forced nature of the situation as a result of sharing a room with the oblivious Henry. Thinking of Henry, Regina unlocked the adjoining door between her room and the boy’s in order to wake him up for the day, but the bed was made and his backpack was gone. She went over to the pajamas that had been thrown to the floor and placed them inside of the hamper that they had conveniently been placed _next_ to, noting that it was something he was prone to doing before New York as well. She looked making sure everything was in its place before returning to her morning routine. She had just begun to mindlessly brush her teeth when her eyes caught the reflection of something in the bathroom mirror, glinting off of what passed for lighting in the room. Her wedding ring she thought, but it wasn’t. So much meaning behind something that was created by a lie, or had she owned it before, she could not remember. She flexed her hand a few times but could not bring herself to remove the piece of jewelry, embarrassed by the fact she quickly made her way to the closet in an effort to ignore it. Knowing that today was going to be the first time she faced Mary Margaret since the revelation of her and Emma’s New York relationship, she picked out her sternest mayoral outfit and black nylons, leaving no doubt to anyone who she was. She walked down to the diner and bought a black coffee to go, feeling all eyes on her as she waited for her beverage. She attempted to ignore the extra attention she was receiving, even more than what she had received the morning prior she thought suspiciously, missing the old days when people would do all they could to simply avoid eye contact with her. She glanced around the room at nothing in particular until her eyes focused on an abandoned newspaper laying on the counter. She read the front page headline and was out the door before her order was up. Regina ran as fast as she could towards the loft and when she made it up to the third and final floor she burst in without knocking. However the words were lost on her tongue as she took in the scene of Emma and her father surrounded by small strips of lumber overseen by a very pregnant Snow.

“Regina?” Emma looked at the other woman with concern.

The older woman pulled herself from her shock of the scene, but still said nothing and instead cautiously looked around the living area.

“He went to the corner store,” the blonde said already knowing the reason for the other woman’s perusal of the apartment.

Realizing it was safe to talk she quickly handed over the news paper to the younger woman who read the title and instantly knew where the woman’s distress was coming from.

 

**No Leads On Slain NYC Psychiatrist**

 

The title was accompanied by a photograph of a man she had spent over a thousand dollars staring at over the course of several months.

**Dr. Horatio Vogelsang,47, was found dead in his office early Tuesday morning by his secretary, Wilma Moore, 39. Autopsy reports revealed that the heart had been removed post mortem, but investigators are perplexed by the apparent lack of scarring that would be present had the organ been surgically removed. Given the particularly gruesome nature as well as mystery to the crime some locals have speculated that his death was part of a Satanic ritualistic murder. However police have been quick to dismiss such rumors so as not to create a Satanic cult panic the likes of which we saw during the 1980’s. Officials are urging anyone with information to please contact police.**

 

“God.” Was the only thing Mary Margaret could get out at the reading of the article.

“We know him...knew him,” Emma said as her voice hitched. “We...used to take sessions with him, but...”

“People think this was me,” Regina said angrily.

"Don't be ridiculous," the other woman said. "Given Walsh's little circus act, I think it is clear what happened. We all know this wasn't you."

However, David did not seem as convinced. Clearly suspicious of the brunette the man looked at her in the same manner as he had when she had been framed for Dr. Hopper’s perceived death. It was her MO after all and the dark curse needed a heart to be cast, perhaps she had found a way around using Henry’s. Not a moment after though, his expression changed, “Wait, the two of you were seeing a therapist together?” David asked truly baffled.

All three women looked at the man as if they were deer caught in the headlights unsure of exactly how to explain the situation to him especially when there were so much more important things going on.

David looked at them confused, “What is going on with the three of you?”

“Can you guys give us a minute please?” Emma said looking to her mother for help.

“Sure,” said Mary Margaret. “We’ll just go and meet Henry at the market,” she said making her way out the door a still confused David trailing behind her.

Once she was sure the expecting couple was out of earshot she started again, “Emma phone calls are not affected by the border spell, any of these morons can mention my name to New York police. You don’t think it is going to look suspicious that I left for a separate state only hours after the man was murdered or how it is utterly impossible to leave town without risking death and exposure,” she said arrogantly while unknowingly beginning to fidget the ring nestled on her finger.

“Regina there is no reason to get ahead of ourselves, I promise you, I will figure something out,” she said, easily seeing through the other woman’s arrogance. Her super power may not have been perfect but she always knew when Regina was lying, and she could tell, the woman was distressed. “He was doing everything he could to make you trust him, you had no way of knowing what he was doing.”

“That’s just it, it was not me. I would have seen right through him and known better than to let slip personal details of my life to people, nothing good ever comes from it,” she stated derisively.

“He would have found out one way or another, memories or not. We both know the only reason I was suspicious of him had nothing to do with what was actually going on,” the blonde said gearing up for her next statement, already knowing it was a mistake. “Which brings up my next point.”

“Don’t tell me, your cellmate in prison went through this very same scenario and can tell us exactly how to beat a murder charge without having to reveal the other murder that alibis me,” she said snidely.

“He attacked you, that was self defense,” she remarked sternly.  “And no,” she took a deep calming breath. “Walsh’s surveillance of us, Storybrooke’s resurgence, and the manner in which the doctor has died, it all leads to this being about you.”

Regina looked confused as to where she was taking the conversation.

“So I have to ask, what exactly did you do to the Wicked Witch?”

Regina balked at the other woman, internally berating herself for actually believing that Emma had ever been on her side, she was just like everyone else in this town. “Miss Swan, if I knew who the Wicked Witch was why would I go through with this whole song and dance instead of simply pointing her out to you and the Uncharmings.”

Emma felt the harshness of the other woman’s words, “I thought maybe she could be using a cloaking or identity spell incase someone remembered her from before the missing year. That is a fairly standard spell isn’t it ?” She asked, remembering how Cora had once disguised herself as Lancelot.

“I realize you were not there for a very long period of time but The Enchanted Forest and Oz are in separate realms, the likelihood of someone knowing her before are fairly impossible.”

“So this isn’t a personal vendetta?” Emma asked being knocked back to square one with the added complication of murder.

“I never met her before,” she said with an air of finality.

“Okay.” She nodded trying as hard as possible to convey to the other woman that she was believed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally the doctor's death was just meant to be a little nod to the reader as to what happened to him but I decided that since he did help (New York) Emma and Regina realize they were in love why not give him a little bit more of an involved send off.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT. Allusions to episodes The Tower and Quiet Minds.

        Regina met Henry at the store, relieved to see that he was not in a sullen mood, taking that as proof that he was not aware of the doctor’s untimely death.

“Where’s ma?” He asked looking behind his mother for the other woman.

“She had to work, but she will be back before dinner.” She said hoping that she was being truthful. “Come on, I thought we could look around a little bit.” She held out her hand but he did not take it.

“I’m too old for that,” he said as he made his way towards the exit.

Ignoring the slight pang in her heart at the boy’s rejection, she left the market trying to keep composure. Eventually they made their way to Any Given Sundae and while walking in tandem with the smaller brunette, Regina discretely watched  her son’s face. He seemed disappointed but not angry and he at least appeared to be taking an interest in his surroundings, albeit fleetingly. However, she herself noted disappointedly that not the slightest bit of recognition ever crossed his face the entire time they explored Storybrooke. Not the school, not the castle, and most disconcerting to the woman not even the house on Mifflin street or the apple tree, grafted from her own, which she had planted on the occasion of his first birthday. She was unsure how much longer she could go on being dishonest with Henry, it was so much easier the first time around she thought and wondered why? Deep down she knew the answer though, for ten years she had lied to Henry in a selfish attempt to get her happy ending when in reality that happiness and contentment only came during the few short months that she had been honest with her son about who she was.

“Do you like the ice cream?” Regina asked as they made their way through out the park.

“It’s not gelato in Little Italy, but it is pretty good,” he smiled at her.

“I know this place is not exactly New York or even Boston for that matter, but I think you will find Storybrooke holds a few charms you won’t find in the big city.”

Henry furrowed his brow before licking a stray drop of rocky road from his cone, “Have you been here before?”

Regina paused before answering, thinking over the possible repercussions of what would happen if she were to tell him the slightest bit of information. “Yes,” she answered finally.

Henry made a _hmm_ sound as if filing away the information for a later date. They remained silent for a few moments both avoiding the other’s eyes and instead focusing on the ducks walking about the half frozen pond. The first snow of the season had fallen the night before and had left Storybrooke with a light dusting of powder and promises of more to come.

“You have too, when you were younger,” Regina said breaking the silence.

“So, this isn’t just about a case, there is something important here?” It was stated as a question but was clearly more of an accusation. Coming here was supposed to make things better for all of them but Henry was feeling the same secrecy he had thought had been resolved months ago and he was starting to feel sick to his stomach.

“Your ma is here to help, just like we told you,” she answered not elaborating any further.

Henry made a face, not satisfied with his mother’s answer and opened his mouth to begin again but before he got a chance to reply they were startled by a man staggering out of the woods.

Hen...Henry,” he rasped reaching a weak hand out towards the two. Regina quickly pulled her son behind her as the man collapsed to the ground only inches from them.

_Neal_

 

        David and Emma made there way outside of town to the more secluded parts of Storybrooke finding themselves upon a farmhouse that she did not recognize from the first curse. She looked around at the rustic residence, everything about it screamed Wizard of Oz, or at least the black and white parts of the film, she had never actually read the book, who really reads assigned books in school anyway? They slowly approached the house being careful not to make any noise, it looked deserted for the time being but there was no telling when the witch or another one of her flying monstrosities would return. She pulled a tension wrench from her coat pocket and expertly slid it in to the rusted iron lock of the side door.

“Still picking locks I see,” David said only slightly amused.

“It served me well back in New York,” she smirked before hearing the tell tale sound of the lock’s tumblers moving into place. The door slowly swung open with what Emma was certain were the loudest creaking door hinges in existence and revealed nothing extraordinary.They both moved carefully inside wary of the fact that there may very well be a trap waiting for them behind every door way.

“Try not to touch anything, if you do just make sure you put it back in its original place,” Emma said pulling out her phone as she started taking pictures of bottles and books, looking for anything that Regina might be able to readily identify.

She made it throughout most of the house without any great revelation when something through the kitchen window caught her eye.

“David,” she called out to the man who was currently in the adjoining room.

“Did you find something?” He called back.

“Maybe. There is a storm cellar out back.”

She made her way towards the backyard, feet crunching in the freshly fallen snow with David only a few steps behind her.

“The lock is broken,” she said as she pulled out her gun.

David pulling out his own before flipping open the door and entering the dark sub basement ahead of his daughter. The smell of mildew was the first thing that grabbed one’s attention when entering the small room and the second, the cage that took up roughly one third of the room. He turned on the light bulb, flooding what little space was left with light in order to get a better look at what could possibly be housed in said cage.

“What do you think she kept in here, delinquent monkeys?” Emma asked.

“No,” David said bending over to pick something up from the cold concrete floor. “Three guesses who spun this,” he said holding up a solid gold straw of hay.

Emma stared in disbelief at the metal that was glinting in the dimness of the cellar’s only source of light.

“Hook. He was right.”

“What?”

“Hook. On our way back from New York he said that he had heard some rumors about Gold coming back.

“Emma, this is worse than we thought if she was able to get Gold into this cage that means she is in control of him.”

Just as a thousand and one scenarios about what The Wicked Witch could possibly be up to with The Dark One, vibrations coming from her pocket pulled her from her thoughts.

“Hello,” Emma spoke into the phone’s receiver before a look of shock moved across her face.

“Yea, we will meet you at the hospital as soon as we can.”

“Mary Margaret?” David asked with nervous excitement at the prospect of their baby’s arrival.

“No,” she said, feeling as if another boulder was being added to the cart of ten she was already pulling.

 

        Henry sat on a bench as he watched his mother converse with one of the paramedics as two others loaded the mysterious man into the ambulance, unable to hear what was being said. A million thoughts ran through his head all of them just adding to his confusion as all of them connected to one moment, the man had said his name.

“I’m sorry Henry, but I have to go meet your ma,” Regina said returning to her son’s side. His shoulders slumped as he realized he was once again going to be left out of something important. “I am going to drop you off at Mary Margaret and David’s,” she said brushing the hair from his eyes.

Thoughts of secrets and mysterious men were quickly pushed aside at the unpleasant idea of spending more time with the extremely pregnant schoolmarm.

“What’s wrong?” Regina asked, wondering if Neal’s unexpected arrival still had him frazzled.

“Mary Margaret and David are nice and all but…”

“But what?” She asked truly curious.

“Have you ever heard of something called cradle cap or pseudomenstruation? That’s all it was all day,” he said dismayed.

Regina smiled sympathetically at Henry’s discomfort of situation not to mention the slight cynical glee she received at knowing he did not enjoy spending time with his grandparents.

“You can go back to the bed and breakfast, but you have to stay in the room,” she said checking her watch and hurriedly ushering the boy towards Granny’s.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, a sprained wrist and a death in the family made June a displeasing month.


	41. Chapter 41

        Zelena had been returning from a meeting with Mary-Margaret and not a moment too soon either, as she could not bare to utter that sickeningly sweet bravado any longer. She heated up a bowl of gruel and made her way outside when she realized the lock had been torn from the hinges. Her nostrils flared and in a fit of rage threw the ceramic bowl where it shattered into a dozen pieces, she marched back into the farm house.  RUMPLESTILTSKIN! She screamed but heard no response, not that she expected one but she thought perhaps she would hear the little cockroach scurrying away. She pulled the dagger from the inside of her coat  **“** Dark One appear!” Zelena called out. Looking disdainfully out at the woods that lay only a few yards away, she thrust the waving dagger into the air clutching it to the point her knuckles turned white. “DARK ONE I COMMAND YOU, APPEAR!” She yelled again this time with greater force, but nothing. Anger flooded her body, “ABU, RAFIKI!” She screamed, two of her apes swooping towards her before taking a subservient stance, awaiting orders from their mistress. The two were not as obedient as Walsh had been but they would do for the time being. “Rumplestiltskin has broken free, find him now or I’ll have you sharing bananas with the wizard in the after life.”

_ Screeeeech! _

“No, Rumple is an immortal again do whatever is needed to get him back inside that cage,” she replied through clenched teeth. 

_ Screeeeech!  _ They flew off without further instruction knowing that the witch could easily make due on her threat.

       Zelena glowered, the imp’s penchant for rambling had not only become increasingly annoying over time but also dangerous for her operation if he were to come into contact with the wrong person, especially his precious Belle, she thought snidely. And then another thought struck her like a bolt of lightning. “Belle,” since meeting the paltry woman, who would have been too young for him prior to his killing Zoso, he had been a weak lovesick fool, he would return to her, she smiled wickedly. 

The drive to the hospital seemed to take hours when in actuality it had only taken ten minutes and when she finally entered the hospital room time seemed to stand still.  Regina starred at Emma trying to identify the expression the blonde had on her face while simultaneously unable to identify the feelings she was having at that moment.

“Emma,” he said with relief. 

“Neal. Thank god, we thought you had been turned into a monkey. What happened?” She asked hoping that his absence meant he was spared from the memory loss. 

“I don’t know, last thing I remember was Regina walking across the town line and then the next thing I am staggering towards her and Henry.”

“Henry saw him?” She asked directing her question towards the brunette.

Regina nodded. “I pulled him away, but not before Neal said his name. If Henry heard him he didn’t say anything to me about it.”

“Great.”

“When can I see him?” 

Emma brought her attention back to Neal while Regina’s stayed on the blonde. Unsure of how she was supposed to handle the situation ahead of her, somehow telling the man about his resurrected father was easier than telling him about his son’s less than stunning thoughts of his moral compass. “Neal we have bigger things to deal with right now,” she said avoiding the subject at hand “Your dad, he’s alive.”

His eyes widened in disbelief, “I just watched him die, what do you mean he’s alive?”

“Are you positive?” Regina asked her mood worsening “Resurrection spells are mostly made up of theories and failed attempts, it doesn’t coincide with natural law.”

“Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t all magic proof that natural law is only an illusion, not to mention David and I found this when we were at the witch’s house.” Emma said holding out the gilded straw to the man; however, before he could take it Regina grabbed his hand and opened his palm fully.

“Neal, what the hell. Were you branded?” Emma looked at the mark concern etched on her face. 

“I don’t know it was there when I woke up, it’s completely scarred over though so what ever it is, it happened months ago.”

Regina stared intently at the scar, “I know this symbol. Back in the Enchanted Forest Rumple had a room in his palace specifically for totems so powerful or dangerous even he wasn’t willing to deal with them.”

“And this was in that room?” She said as she gently traced the lines of the man’s hand, which did not escape Regina’s attention.

She nodded trying to ignore the anger she felt, "On the cover of an ancient text.”

“Well, there is only one person to go to in this town when concerning Rumplestiltskin and books,” Emma said as she took a picture with her phone and sent it to Belle.

“If we’re switching to research mode I might as well go back to Granny’s, do you have those photo’s of the witch’s house for me?” Regina said not being able to take the interaction between the blonde and her former lover for another minute. 

“Yea,” Emma said confused by the brunette’s apparent lack of interest in the Dark One’s return. “I’ll email them to you.”

“I’ll see you later then,” she said as she uncharacteristically speed walked out of the hospital room.

"Regina wait," Emma said catching the other woman on the stairwell. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she said putting on a fake smile.

“Yea, well it’s just that you seemed a little tense in there.”

“Well, as I have said before there is no need for you to worry about me,” she said quickly turning and continuing her way down the steps.

“Regina this past year…” she paused unsure of exactly what she wanted to say to the other woman. “This past year we’ve accomplished a lot by working together.”

The brunette raised her eyebrow equally unsure of where the blonde was going with her statement.

“Regina this witch was able to break through some of the strongest magic you are able to conjure so whether we are  _ together  _ or not, I want to help you, I want you to teach me magic.”

“Em-ma, we have be through this before,” she said almost as if she were scolding a child. 

“I know, but I am ready this time. If I can just learn to control my powers better maybe it will be enough to super charge yours when you need it.”

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned with getting me cleared of murder?” She asked sarcastically.

“Regina no one here is stupid enough to contact anyone outside of Storybrooke, okay? They all know how dangerous our exposure to the world would be and I told you I would deal with the Walsh situation. You won’t regret this Regina I promise, I’ve got this.”

Regina sighed in frustration knowing that the other woman was right, “Fine, I’m going to check on Henry, when you’re finished here meet me in my vault.

Emma nodded and turned making her way back to Neal, nervous excitement making itself at home in her stomach.

 


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own OUAT.

        Emma returned to Neal’s room once again faced with the dilemma concerning both their relationship but also his and Henry’s.

“Are you really okay?” She asked becoming serious again.

“I am. What about you, and Henry?” He asked with more enthusiasm when enquiring about the boy.

“He is fine, we are both fine,” she said giving a faint smile.

He smiled in return but it fell from his face once she started again.

“But he doesn’t remember anything about the last eleven years.” 

“I don’t understand, you and Regina, you both have your memories back how can he not.” 

“It’s complicated and how is not important right now.”

“What do you mean not important, Emma he has to know that I would have come back for him if I could have.”

“I know you would have come back Neal, but I didn’t then and he doesn’t know now. Funny thing about fate, we were living in New York only a few blocks away from your old apartment, just before I got my memories back I went there and found Henry’s camera, well you can imagine what I thought."

“So you are just going to let him continue to think I am the jerk that abandoned him?”

“It was a really good life Neal and I don't think if I can take that away from him.”

"But you can take that away from me?"

"No it's not like that its just...I want him to have his best chance in life and that includes believing fairytales are  _only_ fairytales."

“And there is no way he can have a good life while knowing who I am at the same time?”

"I don't know."

"Emma, please," he said pleadingly.

Emma sighed conflicted with what was easiest and what was the best for her and for Henry, “You can see him. Once this witch problem is handled and we are back in New York,” she added. “Just let him get to know you first and then we can talk about telling him who you really are.”

Neal did not seem quite satisfied with her decision but conceded to the blonde’s terms. “So you really are going back to New York after all this?”

“That’s the plan.”

“What do your parents have to say about that?”

“They will understand that I have to do what is best for my family.”

“Which doesn’t include them or Storybrooke.”

“It doesn’t include the madness that is Storybrooke. While in New York the most we had to worry about was getting mugged on the subway not Wicked Witches or Lord of the Flies style children from Neverland. We could relax, stay home, go to the park, go dancing…”

“You and Henry go dancing often?” He asked quietly his eyes not meeting hers.

“No, we don’t,” she said, confirming the man’s suspicions that she had indeed been involved with someone while in New York without going into great detail. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. I just want you to be happy, you know that right? Even if it’s not with me.”

“I know, but thank you for saying it out loud,” she smiled sadly before grasping the man's unafflicted hand and officially ending Neal’s chapter in her life. 

 

        Regina opened the door to her vault immediately faced with the large casket that housed her father. She placed the bouquet of white lilies on top and brushed away the dust from the plaque that bore his name.

“Hi daddy, I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long,” she said before pushing the cist to reveal the stairwell to her vault. She looked around much like her home everything was still in its rightful place; hearts, ingredients, her mother’s belongings, it all was still there and unfortunately that was not the only thing that she noticed was  _ still there _ . She had been acutely aware of how her son’s mother and father interacted with each other while at the hospital and to her annoyance it had bothered her. She tried to remind herself that she and Emma were not actually married but wondered if this was the feeling Emma had when she saw Walsh’s attentions of her. The feeling was terrible she admitted almost as terrible as the feeling of fear she had at the fact that she had left the hospital nearly forty-five minutes ago and the blonde had yet to meet her.

“You’re late,” she said as the blonde finally arrived.

Emma was taken aback by the other woman’s tone both by the anger behind it as well as the familiarity of the phrase. “Sorry, I hadn’t realized we had a set time.”

“Well you may have forgotten about the Wicked Witch while strolling down memory lane but I haven’t, timing is rather crucial at the moment.”

“I haven’t forgotten about our witch problem,” she said curtly. “Or your Walsh problem, which is why I was gone longer than expected. I had an idea of what to do while at the hospital.”

“Wonderful, now let’s get started,” she said clearly not interested in what Emma had to say on the matter.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing Miss Swan I am fine.”

“There, there you go again calling me Miss Swan, I thought we were passed all that. Now tell me what is wrong?”

“It’s nothing, it’s just that today in the hospital I was reminded of where my place with Henry is.” She said not meaning to out loud.

“Your place with Henry,” she said furrowing her eyebrows “What do you mean by that?

Regina was getting sick of playing twenty questions with the blonde, “Seriously, you’re going to stand there and act like the yearning looks and doe eyes with Neal didn’t just happen. It just became very clear to me why you were so adamant about taking Henry back to New York.”

“Are you being serious right now? I don’t yearn.” And she didn’t, at least not for Neal and to be honest at that particular moment, considering its volatility, she did not much yearn for Regina either.

“I’m not blind Emma. Once this is all over you and Neal can take Henry back to New York, or Tallahassee, or where ever and finally have your little family you always wanted.” 

“How many times do I have to tell you, Henry is mine and he is yours and the whole reason you were in New York with us was because he wanted it. I am not going to just throw that away!” she said probably louder than what was needed.

“Whatever you say,” Regina said in a way that was designed to agitate the blonde because she could think of nothing else to do.

Emma glared at the other woman not believing the irony of she and Regina arguing about her relationship with Neal less than an hour after she had told the man that there would never be anything more than friendship between them again.

Regina turned her back to the blonde clearly thinking the conversation had ended.

Despite its rather macabre connection at the moment Emma sighed and began repeating in her mind.  _ Talk, Accept, Sympathize, Knowledge, Talk, Accept, Sympathize, Knowledge. _ “Back when Henry got trapped in the mine, I decided I wanted to be a permanent fixture in his life and no matter how much of a…” she paused trying to think of the best word to encompass what Regina was but could think of nothing. “How much of a  _ you _ , you were being, that meant you were also a permanent fixture in my life. For better or worse Henry makes us a family and that means Neal too. So don’t accuse me of wanting to push you out of his life just to relive my teenage romance, I wouldn’t do that to you and you know that. "

Regina looked down, not able to meet the other woman’s eyes.

“Now we have a lot to get through today so hurry up and take off your damn shirt.”

Regina looked back up at Emma with wide eyes before clutching her blouse tighter to her body clearly confused and caught off guard by the blonde’s demand.

“Don’t accuse me of trying to do that either. It is part of my Walsh plan, I just want to take pictures of your bruises.”

“Why?” She asked still clutching her shirt, skeptical of what the woman was doing.

“Evidence.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I the only one who wondered who was paying Neal's rent that entire year? I suppose he could have paid in advance but really it is a stretch to think that.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know I have been terrible to you guys and unfortunately I still do not own anything.

        Regina turned her back to the blonde and slowly began unbuttoning her blouse for the other woman. A stupid action she mentally commented as she and the other woman had seen each other, in much less, probably a hundred times by this point, still she felt the heat of embarrassment on her face.

Emma meanwhile seeing the other woman turn her back, quickly glanced at the brunette’s smooth back hurriedly averting her eyes for a moment when she turned back around.  _ Damn it,  _ she thought. _ Regina just had to wear the lace bra today _ . Ignoring the slight arousal she felt and hoping she had not been caught staring at the woman now standing uncomfortably bare in front of her Emma reminded herself that what was happening was a serious matter and regained control of her senses before handing the other woman a twelve inch ruler. “Place that underneath the marks, we need this to look as legitimate as possible. Your neck and chest first then your arms and thighs,” she said much softer than their earlier interaction. 

Regina nodded still not having uttered a single phrase since she began to disrobe which concerned Emma, it was not like Regina to ever  _ not _ voice her opinion on something. In fact this whole situation of the other woman being concerned about possible repercussions regarding something she did not do didn’t make sense either. She took the first picture, shot rib cage up to ensure it was indeed Regina in the photos. The brunette flinched at the flash of the camera attempting to move as little as possible during the entire ordeal instead she focused on keeping her stony Evil Queen face on the whole time. Emma knew there was absolutely no way Regina would put herself through this if she wasn’t concerned about something, and then a thought crossed her mind for the first time.

_ Could Regina possibly be afraid that she would think she had killed the doctor? Did the brunette actually care about what she thought of her? That is what she wanted after all, wasn’t it? For Regina to care. _

“Regina? She asked carefully testing the waters.  _ flash, _ I can’t help but notice that it’s not like you to worry about what others think of you?"

“I _ don’t _ care what they think of me.” She responded bluntly.

“And that is exactly why I don’t understand why you are pushing this so hard. I was there that first morning with you and Whale, you were a queen when you spoke to him, and a total bitch,” she said giving a slight smile. “It was you, but this isn’t.”

_ Flash _

“Are you so sure about that? After all this past year has not been known for its honesties, how much do we really know each other?”

“Did a cat really give you that scar?”

Regina paused for a moment, caught off guard by the question. “Yes.”

_ Flash _

“Then I know more about you now than I did a year ago, and you know that you can trust me now, right?”

Regina, without realizing it, nodded immediately. 

“So you can trust that I am telling you the truth when I say that I believe you.”

“I do, but it is more than that.”

“So please, just explain to me what is going on?” 

Regina gave a deep exhale clearly conflicted about revealing too much of herself. Emma lowered the camera and stopped taking pictures so she could really focus on what the brunette wanted to say.

“You want to take Henry back to New York,” she said with a hint of exasperation. “And if you know me as well as you think you do then you know I can’t live without him. Being in New York means I am susceptible to real world consequences.”

Emma had not considered how a fully conscious Regina would fair in a world without magic. The woman’s need to control every tiny aspect of her life particularly with concerns to curbing her darkness did present its problems but she had been successful in channeling that darkness in New York before there was no reason she couldn’t do it again.

“I know Storybrooke is your comfort zone but…”

“It’s more than a comfort zone Emma, it’s our home, what do your parents have to say about all of this?”

“I love them but they are about to have another baby, one they will get to coddle and care for. I am an adult with my own means they don’t need me taking up space in the loft.”

“Are you afraid mommy and daddy dearest will love the new baby more than you? Just because there is a new member in the family doesn’t mean you will be loved any less.” She said sarcastically before rolling her eyes at the woman and then looking away.

Emma half glared but did not respond instead raising the camera and took another picture. 

Regina faced the blonde again really processing what she had just been told. “You know what Emma you are right, we do know each other and while I may not have your superpower I can always tell when you are lying to me,” she said sternly. 

“Storybrooke was never my home,” it was out of her mouth before she was even aware of what she was saying, but it was the truth. “New York, with you and Henry, that is the only place I ever felt I belonged.”

“I made you feel like you belonged?”

“Yea,” Emma said sincerely. She took the last photo and slowly approached the other woman reaching out her hand. Unlike the first night in Storybrooke Regina allowed her to stroke and inspect the marred purpling skin.

“Does this hurt?” She asked fingering a particularly nasty bruise.

“Not anymore,” she answered dishonestly to which Emma saw through.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to stop this,” she said not looking at the bruises and scratches, but Regina’s eyes instead, her face only inches from Regina’s. Her lips looked full and red and the blonde wanted desperately to press her own lips against them.

“You were. Well kind of anyway.”

“What are you talking about?” Asked the blonde clearly confused.

“Your jacket. When Walsh was lunging towards me it was the first thing I was able to grab, he got caught and as he struggled for freedom I was able to...do what was needed to be done.” 

Emma gave a small smile that tried to mask her sadness at the situation and with in only a few moments, their lips came together.

  
  



	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longest gap in between chapters to date. As some of you know I started grad school for Museum Sciences in August and have had very little time for recreational writing, hopefully there will not be a gap like this again but the old format of four to ten days will most likely not be around for a while. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me. Ps if you are following my Enchanted Forest story I have not forgotten you guys either.

        The kiss was nice, different than what Emma remembered, but nice.  Unfortunately though the blonde found herself oddly disheartened, the kiss had done nothing. No rainbow of light, no magical burst, and for the first time since Regina and Henry had arrived in Storybrooke she was actually disappointed that the curse had not broken. 

“We should get started,” Regina said looking equally desponded. 

Emma guessed for the same reason as she, no rainbow meant no true love. She forced herself to remember that the kiss she had given Henry had not worked either and hoped that the two were connected.  Or at least that is how she described the incident to Mary Margaret when she returned to the loft in search of David, knowing that he would need to be the one to file the police report. 

“I don’t think I am going to be able to do this,” she said to her mother uncertainty in her voice.

“Well we don’t know anything yet, it could still work out after all it was just one kiss,” Mary Margaret said still on the fence about her daughter and ex stepmother’s relationship but wanting to appear supportive. “It was  _ just _ a kiss, right?”

“Yes,” Emma answered surprisingly embarrassed by the question. “And I wasn’t talking about me and Regina I was talking about me and magic. I mean look at this thing,” she said thumbing through the pages of Regina’s spell book, “Half of these spells aren’t even in English.”

“Well, just start with the ones that are,” she said taking the book from the blondes grasp and flipping to the first page she could read. “Here, Transfiguration- Disguise any physical object or being into that of another,” she said handing the book back and pointing to the page. “It’s second year at Hogwarts so how hard can it really be?”

Emma glanced at the page for a moment before really thinking about what Mary Margaret had said, “Wait is Hogwarts real?”

She thought for a moment as if realizing for the first time what she had just said as well, “I don’t think so, but then again I didn’t realize Oz was real until recently either.”

Emma rolled her eyes and turned her attention to one of the many clocks in the woman’s apartment, realizing that Henry had received this particular obsession from her and for the second time that day she had regrets about wanting to take Henry from Storybrooke.

“Anyway, I thought you said the lesson went pretty well?”

“It did, its just that,” Emma shrugged her shoulders. “I just need to be ready.”

“I know,” Mary Margaret said reaching for her daughter’s hand. “Have hope, in the end  _ everything  _ will work out the way it is supposed to,” she said giving the blonde’s hand a final squeeze ecstatic when she felt her squeeze back. 

The moment was broken when David walked in through the front door and Emma realized that in addition to telling him about her police report plan, it was also time to tell him about her and Regina. She took a deep breath, "David, I need to talk to you about something."

 

        Henry sat in his rented room at the bed and breakfast angrily drumming his fingers on the desk. His mom had left him to go off on some secret mission with his ma that he was, once again, not allowed to be a part of. When his mother had come back to his room he had hoped she would at least share some sort of insight regarding the man in the park but the only answer he had received to his inquiry had been that he had been malnourished.. 

He sighed in frustration returning the phone to its cradle, his cell phone having been taken as punishment for running away, he had been trying to call Dr. Vogelsang all afternoon but could not reach him or his secretary. They had promised to be more open with him but they had lied, his mothers were acting distant with him and each other again and it was this place’s fault. This town that they never once talked about yet all three of them had been to before. All these old friends he has never heard of and his mom was completely ignoring a fact that they both knew about and that was that the man in the park had said his name.  _ What is with this whole place,  _ he thought angrily. He looked outside what had started out as flurries was quickly blanketing the ground and there was a slight chill in the room and he could not stand to spend another minute in it. His moms had said to stay at Granny’s but he did not much care at the moment what they had told him, or at least that is what he told himself.  Anyways, the diner was technically still Granny’s so he was not really disobeying them if he were to go downstairs for a hot cocoa. Satisfied with his own logic, Henry made his way downstairs and sat himself down at the counter and ordered his drink as well as the daily special from the tall brunette woman.

He looked around at the scant few people in the diner all going about their business and started to feel disoriented, there was something about this place, something familiar but no matter how hard he tried any memory he might have of the place was not coming. 

“Here you go,” the waitress said suddenly bringing Henry back to Earth. “The fish and chips will be up in a few more minutes.”

“Thanks,” he said quickly looking down blushing at the waitress’s revealing outfit. He looked back up as she walked away and took a sip of his cocoa happily noticing that she had added cinnamon to it without having to ask. 

As he sat and ate no one attempted to talk to him and it was surprisingly lonely, so instead of looking at anyone else he focused solely on the basket of food, watching as little by little its contents disappeared. Now looking down into the empty basket he suddenly started to feel sick to his stomach. There soaking up the grease from his fried fish and french fries was a newspaper with the words  **No Leads on Slain Doctor** accompanied with a picture that was, though damaged, most definitely Dr. Vogelsang. Panic spread throughout his body and tears started to fill his eyes.  _ Was this why his moms had been acting weird all of a sudden? Had they known about this and not told him?  _ He had to talk to his moms now! Henry quickly grabbed his coat and scarf and deftly made his way out of the bed and breakfast’s back entrance. However, he did not get far before he slammed into someone and was knocked to the ground.

“Oh my goodness! Are you alright?” The figure asked before picking him up off the ground and dusting the snow from his body.

“Yea I think so,” he said though his wrist was killing him.

“Are you quite certain?” She asked indicating his cradling of his hand which was already beginning to swell.

“Yea I’ll be fine,” he lied.

He watched as the redheaded woman eyed him carefully. “Your Regina and Emma’s boy aren’t you? Henry is it?”

He broke eye contact with the woman at the mention of his mothers but nodded, “You know my moms?”

“Indeed. Regina and I go quite a ways back and I am quite certain she wouldn’t want you wandering about by yourself.”

“I was actually just on my way to find them.”

“Well just the same, I think it is best we get you off to the emergency room and have that wrist checked out. We can call them from there.”

“I can get there myself,” he insisted partially out of his mother’s scolding about strangers earlier that week.

“Nonsense, I have been helping Mrs. Nolan with the preparations for her baby and every good midwife assisting in a home birth knows, always know where the hospital is just in case,” she said gripping the boys uninjured hand and guiding him towards the hospital, smiling as she felt no resistance from the boy. It seemed fate was smiling on her today, Rafiki had given her Rumplestiltskin’s location as Storybrooke General and now Regina’s son was willingly in her grasp as they made their way to it. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I rewatched the final season on Netflix I have taken a few things away from it 1. I thought Henry and Ivy had more chemistry with one another than Henry and Jacinda 2. Hope Jones is a terrible name (Sorry if that is legit someone's name out there) and 3. Lana looked cute AF in Roni's concert shirts.


End file.
